
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, October 11, 1994                   TAG: 9410110119
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-7   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

TAKE NOTE

SMOKELESS TOBACCO - A GROWING HEALTH HAZARD: Snuff and chewing tobacco are popular smokeless tobacco habits for many young Americans. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 22 million people use smokeless tobacco. Up to 22 percent of 11th-graders use the products and it is not unusual to find children as young as 5 or 6 dipping snuff.

According to information provided by the New River Health District, habitual use of smokeless tobacco can lead to cancer of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and esophagus, forms of cancer that are among the most disfiguring. Smokeless tobacco can eventually destroy the gums, bone and teeth. Other effects abound: Tooth decay, erosion of tooth surfaces, teeth discoloration, reduced ability to taste and smell, and bad breath. Smokeless tobacco - which contains more addictive nicotine per dose than do cigarettes - can disrupt normal cardiovascular activity, increase heart rate and blood pressure and constrict small blood vessels needed for proper health of the gums and other tissues.

The New River Health District, dentists and other health professionals urge the public to stop using all forms of tobacco.

The health district dental clinic in Christiansburg is open daily and serves mainly children's dental needs for Floyd, Giles and Montgomery counties and the City of Radford. Fees are based on a sliding scale. Call 381-7110.

by CNB