Chewing Tobacco vs. Cigarettes: Understanding the Health Risks

Chewing tobacco, also known as smokeless tobacco or spit tobacco, comes in shredded or packed tobacco leaves that users put between their cheek and gum to absorb nicotine. Chewing tobacco is just as harmful as cigarettes due to its chemical content, nicotine content and the medical issues it causes in its users.

Chemical Content

• There are 28 cancer-causing chemicals that have been identified in smokeless tobacco, such as nitrosames, polonium 210 and arsenic. Nitrosames are a powerful cancer-causing agent, polinium 210 is a radioactive element and arsenic is a poison used in insecticides.

Nicotine Content

• Chewing tobacco puts more nicotine into your body than smoking a single cigarette. An average-sized amount of tobacco held in the mouth for 30 minutes contains as much nicotine as 2 to 3 cigarettes. The high nicotine content makes chewing tobacco very addicting.

Medical Conditions

• Chewing tobacco causes myriad medical conditions related to tobacco use, such as tooth and gum disease, bad breath and an increased risk for heart disease and stroke. Smokeless tobacco can also cause cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus.