World No Tobacco Day: think about your health and others

Megan Heroux

Megan Heroux, Lethbridge Community Health Services

World No Tobacco Day is on May 31st, 2014. This year, Alberta Health Services (AHS) would like to draw attention to spit tobacco. Although spit tobacco is smokeless, it is not harmless. Using any form of tobacco, including spit tobacco, is extremely harmful to your health. Spit tobacco contains 28 known cancer-causing chemicals that can result in a number of health concerns like cancers of the throat, mouth, stomach and esophagus, not to mention a number of dental health issues.

To promote World No Tobacco Day, AHS representatives will be in the atrium at the Brooks, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat hospitals on Tuesday, May 27th from 11 a.m. to 2p.m. Come visit us and pick up some resources and information about supports available for those trying to quit tobacco.

Whether it’s spit tobacco, cigarettes or other forms, tobacco is harmful to both the user and those around them. We’d like to remind tobacco users about AHS’ Tobacco and Smoke Free Environments Policy and to be respectful of others when visiting an AHS site. This policy prohibits the use of tobacco products on all AHS sites and grounds and builds on Alberta’s Tobacco Reduction Act, which prohibits the use of tobacco in public places, workplaces and vehicles, and within five metres of a doorway, window or air intake system. The purpose of these is to protect people from the harmful effects of tobacco smoke.

There are three types of tobacco smoke:

• First-hand smoke is the smoke inhaled by the user from a cigarette, 
• Second-hand smoke is what burns off a cigarette into the environment and what is exhaled by the user, 
• Third-hand smoke is the smoke and chemical residue that remains on the user after the cigarette has been smoked. 

All forms of tobacco smoke are dangerous. According to AlbertaQuits, there is no safe level of exposure, and children, babies and patients are especially vulnerable. Quitting tobacco is one of the best things you can do to improve your health and the health of those around you.

While we certainly don’t want to minimize tobacco cravings experienced by those living with a nicotine dependency, there are other options. Nicotine replacement therapy can help curb those nicotine cravings while on AHS sites; talk to your doctor or pharmacist about what might work best for you. AHS also offers a variety of supports through AlbertaQuits. The next group cessation program, QuitCore, is scheduled to begin May 29th at 5:30 p.m. in Lethbridge. To register and access other great resources, visit www.albertaquits.ca or call 1-866-710-7848 (QUIT).

Megan Heroux is a health promotion facilitator at Lethbridge Community Health Services and can be reached at Megan.Heroux@albertahealthservices.ca.