Great American Smokeout

History of the Great American Smokeout

Each year, the third Thursday of November is designated the Great American Smokeout and invites people across the United States to take an important step toward quitting tobacco and nicotine. According to the cancerletter.com, the event was inspired by an earlier “Don’t Smoke Day” in Minnesota in 1974. This led to an initiative in California on November 18, 1976, when nearly one million people quit for the day. By 1977, the American Cancer Society (ACS) made it a national event to highlight quitting to prevent tobacco-related illnesses. The ACS emphasizes quitting may be difficult, but it doesn’t need to happen all at once. Setting a date helps people commit, and it helps to encourage people who smoke or use tobacco to view the day as “Day One” of a healthier, smoke-free life.

History of Nicotine & Tobacco Use

Nicotine is a substance derived from tobacco plants. Medical News Today states tobacco plants originally came from South America where the leaves were chewed, smoked, and used in religious rituals by native people. European colonists later exported tobacco plants to other countries for recreational use and profit. According to the Cancer History Project, advances in technology during the 20th century led to the large-scale production of cigarettes and tobacco products. Ads glamorized and encouraged smoking which created the widespread public-health challenge we face today.

Types of Products Containing Tobacco and/or Nicotine

The American Cancer Society describes the following products and devices associated with tobacco and nicotine use:

• Traditional cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco: These burn dried tobacco leaves and often have added flavoring.

• Smokeless tobacco: This includes dip, snuff, snus, chewing tobacco, pouches, strips, and dissolvable tobacco products. These do not burn but still deliver nicotine and harmful chemicals through the mouth or nose.

• Heated-tobacco (“heat-not-burn”) devices: These use tobacco sticks or capsules that are heated with an electronic element. They are not burned but still release nicotine and many of the same harmful chemicals as cigarettes.

• Electronic nicotine delivery systems (e-cigarettes and vaping devices): These heat a liquid (often with nicotine, toxic chemicals, and flavorings) into an aerosol. The long-term effects of these devices are unknown.

Chemicals in Cigarettes & E-Cigarettes

Cigarettes and Combustible Tobacco:

• The American Lung Association notes that cigarettes have approximately 600 listed ingredients. When burned, these yield more than 7,000 chemicals—at least 69 of which are known carcinogens. The following chemicals found in tobacco smoke are also used in the manufacturing of other products:

  • acetone-nail polish remover

  • acetic acid-hair dye

  • ammonia-household cleaner

  • arsenic-rat poison

  • benzene-rubber cement and gasoline

  • butane-lighter fluid

  • cadmium-battery acid

  • carbon monoxide-found in exhaust fumes from cars

  • formaldehyde-embalming fluid

  • lead-battery component

  • naphthalene-moth balls

  • methanol-rocket fuel

  • nicotine-insecticide

  • tar-road pavement

  • toluene-paint

• The American Cancer Society lists additional chemicals and carcinogens in tobacco smoke including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), radioactive elements (such as uranium-235 and polonium-210), tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) and vinyl chloride.

  
  

E-Cigarettes and Vaping Devices:

• The American Lung Association explains that e-liquid (“e-juice”) contains the following chemicals that create additional toxic substances when heated:

  • nicotine-affects adolescent brain development

  • propylene and diethylene glycol-components of antifreeze

  • acrolene-a weed killer

  • acetaldehyde and formaldehyde-carcinogens

  • diacetyl-causes "popcorn lung"

  • heavy metals-nickel, tin, and lead

    
    

• According to the American Cancer Society e-cigarettes are still tobacco products, because the addictive nicotine is derived from tobacco and the aerosols they generate can include carcinogens and other toxic substances.

• Use of these products can lead to E-Cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI)—a serious lung disease that can lead to death.

• Using both cigarettes and e-cigarettes (dual use) may increase lung-cancer risk compared to smoking alone.

Physical Effects of Tobacco and Nicotine on the Body

The following are systemic effects reported by the CDC, and Medical News Today:

• Central Nervous System: Dizziness, lightheadedness, sleep disturbances, headaches, and psychological symptoms of addiction and withdrawal may be experienced.

• Cardiovascular System: Increased blood clotting and blood pressure in addition to changes in cardiac rate and rhythm are associated with nicotine.

• Respiratory System: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), shortness of breath, and bronchospasms may develop from use.

• Muscular System: Joint pain and tremors can be caused by nicotine.

• Gastrointestinal System: Indigestion ("heartburn"), peptic ulcers, nausea, and diarrhea frequently occur due to nicotine.

• Immune System: Smoking causes an increased risk for cancer and infections.

  
  

Effects on Population

The CDC reports the following information:

• More than 16 million Americans live with a disease caused by smoking.

• Smoking and secondhand smoke together cause over 480,000 deaths per year in the U.S.

• Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body. Cancer, heart disease, strokes, lung disease (including COPD), diabetes, and reproductive harm are all associated with smoking.

• Secondhand smoke around non-smokers causes heart disease, strokes, lung cancer, respiratory illnesses, and worse outcomes in children .

  
  

Resources to Quit

You are not alone. The American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, and CDC all offer resources to help you quit tobacco and nicotine.

• 24/7 helpline (1-800-227-2345).

• Cessation programs, counselling, medications, and support are available.

Encouragement For You

If you’re thinking about quitting, or supporting someone who is, congratulations! Use the Great American Smokeout as a launch point to better health. Quitting tobacco use or nicotine products at any age is among the most important actions you can do to promote wellness. It isn't easy, but the benefit of not putting toxic chemicals in your body is worth it. Take the first step and kick tobacco and nicotine in the butt!

Additional health and wellness information is available at Nurture Your Whole Self: Nursing the Body, Mind, and Soul.