Cigarettes, Shisha and Paan

Smokefree Services information relating to the programmes of 8th and 15th August 2011. The contents of the attached document have been pasted below for your convenience:

1. There are over 4000 poisonous chemicals in every cigarette
2. Children can breathe in around 150 cigarettes a year when adults smoke around them
3. Quit smoking and save over £2000 a year
4. Smoking Shisha causes high levels of poisonous gas gas in your body

Heather Bath and Farhat Khan from Smokefree Services in the South East of Glasgow, an NHS service, are taking part in several discussion programmes during this month.

Heather is the Health Improvement Senior for Tobacco Control and oversees the community tobacco services and stop smoking programmes, and has worked in stop smoking services for the last 7 years.

Farhat is the Health Improvement Practitioner for the Pollokshields Health Shop in Shields Road.  The shop offers support to the local community on any matters relating to health.

Who are Smokefree Services?

Smokefree Services are part of the Health Improvement team in each area of the city, and it is their responsibility to ensure that anyone who would like help to stop smoking can access this.  The service offers support sessions for those who would like to quit smoking, and also provides information and training sessions for members of the public, NHS staff and other organisations.

Is smoking really an issue for the Asian community?

Yes – it is.  We know that about 29% of Pakistani men smoke, which is similar to the general population.  Although fewer South Asian women smoke, we know that they are more likely to use paan.  We are also now seeing an increase in the numbers of young men and women within the Asian community who are taking up smoking, which is particularly worrying, as well as an increase in the use of shisha pipes. 

What problems can smoking cause?

Tobacco smoke contains about 4000 chemicals, with many of these likely to cause cancer. 

One of the chemicals taken into your body when smoking is Carbon Monoxide, which many of you will have heard about.  It is the same gas as you get from faulty gas heaters or boilers, or car exhaust fumes.  When you smoke, or use a shisha pipe, you take in the carbon monoxide and it goes into your blood stream as well as your lungs, meaning there is less oxygen going around your body.  This is one of the causes of heart attacks and breathing difficulties seen in smokers.

Tar is the name given to a mix of many of the chemicals in cigarette smoke, and this is a black sticky substance which gets stuck in the lungs, and also causes health problems.  The most recognised health issues from smoking are different types of cancer, heart problems, breathing difficulties, problems with circulation and many others.

What about the nicotine in cigarettes and tobacco?  Is this bad for you too?

We now know that nicotine does not cause the health problems that we have just talked about, but that it is very addictive.  Experts now tell us that nicotine is more addictive than heroine and cocaine, so it can be very difficult for people to stop using tobacco without some kind of help.

When we are working with people who want to stop smoking, we offer them help in the form of Nicotine Replacement Therapy or medication which takes away some of the cravings for a cigarette.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy, which you will often hear called NRT, is basically a safe dose of nicotine, without all the harmful chemicals that are in tobacco.  It comes in different forms and is taken to reduce the cravings and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms which someone will get if they quit smoking.

Many people will have tried patches or gum or lozenges, but there are also microtabs, which are tiny tablets which you place under your tongue.  There is a nasal spray which is very effective for very heavy smokers, and an inhalator, which is a bit like a plastic cigarette, and which is very good for lighter smokers. 

The main things to remember about NRT are that it is safe to use, and it will make stopping smoking easier.

So if someone wants to try and stop smoking, do they go out and buy these products?

They can do, but we know that most people find it easier to stop smoking if they get some help.  We can offer support to anyone who wants to quit, by meeting with them on a regular weekly basis, or even by offering telephone support.  There are options to meet at local venues, and in the south side we offer drop in clinics, at both the new Victoria hospital and the Health Shop in Pollokshields.  We will normally arrange for a supply of nicotine replacement therapy from a local pharmacy.

If anyone would prefer to speak to someone in their own language, rather than in English, this can also be arranged.

Local pharmacies also offer a stop smoking service, and you can pop in and speak to them about the help they can give too.

We would really encourage anyone who would like help to stop smoking to get in touch with us, and we can sort out the most appropriate way to support them.

What about medication from the doctor to help you stop smoking – can you tell us a bit more about that?

There are 2 different tablets which can be taken to help you stop smoking, called Zyban and Champix.  But the one which we use most often is Champix.

This tablet works by reducing the enjoyment of a cigarette, and by reducing the cravings to have a cigarette.  It works in your brain, and does not contain nicotine.

Like the NRT it is usually taken for 12 weeks, but this has to be supplied by your doctor, or some pharmacists can now prescribe Champix.

In Glasgow, doctors should refer you to the stop smoking support services if you are interested in taking Champix, as we know your chances of succeeding in stopping smoking are much better if you have some support while you take the tablets.

As with all medications, there can be side effects, and it is important that we monitor how you are when you are taking these tablets.

What about using a shisha pipe? 

Many people don’t thing that using the shisha pipe is smoking, but in reality it is.  Tobacco is still burned, and although it is inhaled in a different way, harmful chemicals are still taken into your body.

Because it is flavoured, and a social activity, it is seen as less harmful.  People say that the water filters out the harmful chemicals, but this is not true.

We mentioned carbon monoxide earlier, this is the poisonous gas that you breathe in when you smoke or use a shisha pipe.  We can monitor levels of Carbon Monoxide in someone’s body with a very simple breath test.

A regular smoker, who smokes say 20 cigarettes a day, will normally have a carbon monoxide reading of around 20-30.  A non-smoker will have a reading of under 5.

Recently, the local service was able to offer a gentleman who had smoked a shisha pipe about 45 minutes beforehand, the opportunity to have his carbon monoxide level checked.  When the test was taken, it gave a reading of 90.  This is an exceptionally high reading, so it shows just how much more of the poisonous carbon monoxide is taken in from using a shisha pipe. 

Many young people are beginning to use the shisha rather than cigarettes, but we would stress that this is as unhealthy and as damaging as smoking.

What about using paan or chewing tobacco – it is not smoked so it can’t be unhealthy?

Unfortunately, many people think this, but again it is not true.

We know that chewing tobacco or the use of paan significantly increases the risk of mouth cancers.  Each year in Scotland, there are 500 new cases of oral cancer.  Because the chemicals from the tobacco sit in the mouth, they are absorbed into the body although in a different way from smoking.

Because the tobacco contains nicotine, using chewing tobacco is also addictive.

Again, the local stop smoking services can offer advice and support to anyone who would like more information about using paan or chewing tobacco.

What is second hand smoke?

This is the smoke which is breathed out by the smoker, and also the smoke which comes from the lit end of the cigarette.

This is harmful, in just the same way as smoking is harmful.  Children are especially susceptible to the dangers of second hand smoke, as their lungs are smaller and they breathe more quickly, so they take in more of the poisonous gases.

It is the same in the car.  If you smoke in your car, your children are breathing in all of the poisonous gases from the cigarette smoke.

To protect the children and others around you from this, you should always try to smoke outside if you feel you can’t quit smoking.

Further information

Because we are an NHS service, all the support is free. 

Smokefree Services in each area of the city has a different telephone number, but we are happy to take calls at our office, and pass on to the correct areas, if you don’t live in the South Side.

Our telephone number is 0800 028 5208.  You can also pop into the Health Shop in Shields Road, or ask your doctor to refer you to Smokefree Services.  Then we can be in touch to see how we can help.

Smokefree Services website can be accessed at http://www.nhsggcsmokefree.org.uk

The Scottish Smokeline number can also give advice and is also available in the evening on 0800 84 84 84.

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Cigarettes, shisha and paan