FACT: Tobacco Use Is a Tremendous Burden to All Texans

In Texas, tobacco use is the single greatest preventable cause of premature death and disease.

  • Tobacco use is a major risk factor for multiple cancers, heart disease, stroke and lung disease.
  • Approximately 498,000 kids now under 18 and alive in Texas who will ultimately die prematurely from smoking
  • Approximately 28,000 adults die of a smoking-attributable illness annually in Texas. That is more than die from AIDS, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, car accidents, fire and murder - combined.

Smoking is a health threat to nonsmokers.

  • Secondhand smoke contains a complex mixture of over 4,000 chemicals, more than 50 of which are cancer-causing agents (carcinogens).
  • Secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer and coronary heart disease in non-smoking adults.
  • Because their lungs are not fully developed, young children are particularly vulnerable to secondhand smoke. Exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia in young children.

Tobacco use COSTS Texas businesses and taxpayers money.

  • Tobacco-related disease cost the state approximately $17.7 billion ($8.85 billion in direct medical costs and an additional $8.22 billion in lost worker productivity).
  • $1.96 billion of all Medicaid expenditures were spent on smoking-related illnesses and diseases
  • Residents’ state & federal tax burden from smoking-caused government expenditures is $756 per household

Sources: factsheets on Tobacco’s Toll in Texas, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: Updated September 25, 2015 www.tobaccofreekids.org

FACT: ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES OR E-CIGARETTES, ARE AN EMERGING CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH

  • These devices are a part of a growing landscape of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) that includes many different types of products, such as vape pens and e-hookahs.
  • Despite differences in appearance, these devices are quite similar in function - they create an aerosol that can contain nicotine and other additives.
  • The potential long-term benefits and risks associated with e-cigarette use are not currently known. What is known is that nicotine exposure at a young age may cause lasting harm to brain development, promote nicotine addiction, and lead to substance tobacco use - making any use of these products amount U. S. youth a major concern.

Article: E-cigarettes: An Emerging Public Health Challenge can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/cdcgrandrounds/archives/2015/october2015.htm

Link to video: E-cigarettes: An Emerging Public Health Challenge http://www.cdc.gov/cdcgrandrounds/pdf/archives/2015/october2015.pdf

Presented by: King Brian, PhD, MPH, Deputy Director for Research Translation, Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC

FACT: THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) HAS JOINED OTHER HEALTH EXPERTS TO WARN CONSUMERS ABOUT POTENTIAL HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES. THE AGENCY IS CONCERNED THAT:

  • E-cigarettes can increase nicotine addiction among young people and may lead kids to try other tobacco products, including conventional cigarettes, which are known to cause disease and lead to premature death
  • The products may contain ingredients that are known to be toxic to humans
  • Because clinical studies about the safety efficacy of these products for their intended use have not been submitted to FDA…

Article: FDA Warns of Health Risks Posed by E-Cigarettes can be found at: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/UCM173430.pdf

Reference: FDA Consumer Health Information / U. S. Food and Drug Administration, July 2009

FACT: A GROWING NUMBER OF YOUTH ARE USING ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES (E-CIGARETTES)*, WHICH PROVIDE A RELATIVELY NEW WAY TO DELIVERY THE ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCE NICOTENE WITHOUT BURNING TOBACCO.

  • The trend in youth use of e-cigarettes is alarming and raises serious concerns that e-cigarettes could be a gateway to nicotine addiction and use of regular cigarettes for some kids.
  • While it is still an open scientific question whether e-cigarettes might be able to help adult smokers give up cigarettes, kids should not be using any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes…

Article: Electronic Cigarettes and Youth can be found at: http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0382.pdf

Reference: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, January 29, 2016 / Laura Bach