Courtesy photos
Siletz Tribal Head Start students visit
the Lincoln City Community Center
(bottom left) to participate in activities
that focus on gross motor skills.
Officer Boyd and Officer Nelson from
the Oregon State Police (top left) visit
with the Siletz Tribal Head Start class in
Lincoln City.
Siletz Tribal Head Start students visit
the Neotsu Post Office (above) near
Lincoln City.
Tom Linstrom and Jerry Linstrom
spread barks chips at the Siletz Tribal
Head Start in Portland (right) during the
Christmas break.
What are the health effects of smoking kreteks?
Kreteks (pronounced kree-techs) are
clove cigarettes imported from Indonesia
that contain tobacco, cloves and other
additives. They sometimes are called
“clove cigarettes.”
Kreteks deliver more nicotine, carbon
monoxide and tar than conventional ciga-
rettes. Although no studies on the long-
term health effects of kreteks have been
conducted in the U.S., research in Indo-
nesia shows that regular kretek smokers
have 13 to 20 times the risk for abnormal
lung function compared with nonsmokers.
Resources
Title: Bidis and Kreteks; cdc.gov/
tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/tobacco_
industry/bidis_kreteks/index.htm); CDC
Title: NIDA Research Report Series:
Tobacco Addiction; American Cancer
Society Website: Questions About Smok-
ing, Tobacco, and Health; National Insti-
tute on Drug Abuse
A Report of the Surgeon General
How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease
Fact Sheet
This is the 30th tobacco-related Surgeon General’s report issued since 1964. It describes in detail the
specific pathways by which tobacco smoke damages the human body. The scientific evidence supports
the following conclusions:
There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke. Any exposure to tobacco
smoke—even an occasional cigarette or exposure to secondhand smoke—is harmful.
n You don’t have to be a heavy smoker or a long-time smoker to get a smoking-related disease or have a
heart attack or asthma attack that is triggered by tobacco smoke.
n Low levels of smoke exposure, including exposures to secondhand tobacco smoke, lead to a rapid and
sharp increase in dysfunction and inflammation of the lining of the blood vessels, which are implicated
in heart attacks and stroke.
n Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals and compounds. Hundreds are toxic and more
than 70 cause cancer. Tobacco smoke itself is a known human carcinogen.
n Chemicals in tobacco smoke interfere with the functioning of fallopian tubes, increasing risk for adverse
pregnancy outcomes such as ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, and low birth weight. They also damage
the DNA in sperm which might reduce fertility and harm fetal development.
Damage from tobacco smoke is immediate.
n The chemicals in tobacco smoke reach your lungs quickly every time you inhale. Your blood then
carries the toxicants to every organ in your body.
n The chemicals and toxicants in tobacco smoke damage DNA, which can lead to cancer. Nearly
one-third of all cancer deaths every year are directly linked to smoking. Smoking causes about 85% of
lung cancers in the U.S.
n Exposure to tobacco smoke quickly damages blood vessels throughout the body and makes blood more
likely to clot. This damage can cause heart attacks, strokes, and even sudden death.
n The chemicals in tobacco smoke inflame the delicate lining of the lungs and can cause permanent
damage that reduces the ability of the lungs to exchange air efficiently and leads to chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Smoking longer means more damage.
n Both the risk and the severity of many diseases caused by smoking are directly related to how long the
smoker has smoked and the number of cigarettes smoked per day.
n Chemicals in tobacco smoke cause inflammation and cell damage, and can weaken the immune system.
The body makes white blood cells to respond to injuries, infections, and cancers. White blood cell
counts stay high while smoking continues, meaning the body is constantly fighting against the damage
caused by smoking, which can lead to disease in almost any part of the body.
n Smoking can cause cancer and weaken your body’s ability to fight cancer. With any cancer—even
those not related to tobacco use—smoking can decrease the benefits of chemotherapy and other cancer
treatments. Exposure to tobacco smoke can help tumors grow.
Cigarettes are designed for addiction.
n The design and contents of tobacco products make them more attractive and addictive than ever before.
Cigarettes today deliver nicotine more quickly from the lungs to the heart and brain.
n While nicotine is the key chemical compound that causes and sustains the powerful addicting effects of
cigarettes, other ingredients and design features make them even more attractive and more addictive.
n The powerful addicting elements of tobacco products affect multiple types of nicotine receptors in the
brain.
n Evidence suggests that psychosocial, biologic, and genetic factors may also play a role in nicotine
addiction.
n Adolescents’ bodies are more sensitive to nicotine, and adolescents are more easily addicted than adults.
This helps explain why about 1,000 teenagers become daily smokers every day.
There is no safe cigarette.
n The evidence indicates that changing cigarette designs over the last five decades, including filtered,
low-tar, and “light” variations, have NOT reduced overall disease risk among smokers and may have
hindered prevention and cessation efforts.
n The overall health of the public could be harmed if the introduction of novel tobacco products
encourages tobacco use among people who would otherwise be unlikely to use a tobacco product or
delays cessation among persons who would otherwise quit using tobacco altogether.
The only proven strategy for reducing the risk of tobacco-related disease and death is
to never smoke, and if you do smoke to quit.
n Quitting at any age and at any time is beneficial. It’s never too late to quit, but the sooner the better.
n Quitting gives your body a chance to heal the damage caused by smoking.
n When smokers quit, the risk for a heart attack drops sharply after just 1 year; stroke risk can fall to about
the same as a nonsmoker’s after 2-5 years; risks for cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder
are cut in half after 5 years; and the risk for dying of lung cancer drops by half after 10 years.
n Smokers often make several attempts before they are able to quit, but new strategies for cessation,
including nicotine replacement and non-nicotine medications, can make it easier.
n Talk to your doctor or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW and get started on a quit plan today.
n The chemicals in tobacco smoke complicate the regulation of blood sugar levels, exacerbating the health
issues resulting from diabetes. Smokers with diabetes have a higher risk of heart and kidney disease,
amputation, eye disease causing blindness, nerve damage, and poor circulation.
March 2015
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SiletzNews
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