Tobacco smoking, vaping is not harmless: IH

Photo: Interior Health

Interior Health is reminding people that tobacco vaping and smoking is not only addictive, it's the leading cause of chronic diseases and responsible for over 6,000 deaths every year in B.C.

"Tobacco contains a large number of chemicals," Dr. Silvina Mema, deputy chief medical health officer, said in an educational video posted online.

"There is a number of chemicals that are used (to process tobacco) and those chemicals, when you inhale them, they stay in your lungs and are known to cause cancer, not only of the lung, but the mouth and other parts of the respiratory system."

Mema said smoking also increases cases of heart disease and stroke, developing diabetes, gum disease, yellow teeth, infections, skin problems and weaker bones.

The good news is that in B.C., only about 10 to 12 per cent people smoke following decades of public health programs deterring people from lighting up. Vaping, however, may have bolstered the numbers of those that partake.

Vaping products in Canada contain nicotine or cannabis, and can negatively impact brain development in youth. It can cause health issues, including harming a person’s airways and lungs. The "vapour" can also cause nicotine poisoning, especially in young kids.

There are not only health benefits to quitting smoking and vaping, it can help financially, or any relationships affected by the habit.

Research is still underway to better understand how vaping can affect people’s health in the long term.