Smokeless tobacco use is increasing throughout the U.S., especially among the most vulnerable of our citizens -- the children. With more than 30,000 new cases of oral cancer reported last year in the U.S. alone, it is time that use of smokeless tobacco take its rightful place next to cigarette smoking as a serious health risk that must be stopped. This report includes the following chapters: Clinical and Pathological Effects; Carcinogenesis; Nicotine Effects and Addiction; Prevention; Cessation: Recommendations for the Control of Smokeless Tobacco. Tables, photos and graphs.

This eighty-ninth volume of the IARC Monographs is the third and last of a series on tobacco-related agents. Volume 83 reported on the carcinogenicity of tobacco smoke and involuntary smoking (second-hand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke) (IARC 2004a). Volume 85 summarized the evidence on the carcinogenic risk of chewing betel quid with and without tobacco (IARC 2004b). That volume explored the variety of products chewed in South Asia and other parts of the word that contain areca nut in combination with other ingredients, often including tobacco. In this eighty-ninth volume, the carcinogenic risks associated with the use of smokeless tobacco, including chewing tobacco and snuff, are considered in a first monograph. The second monograph reviews some tobacco-specific nitrosamines. These agents were evaluated earlier in Volume 37 of the Monographs (IARC 1985) and information gathered since that time has been summarized and evaluated.

This report focuses on the vulnerable adolescent ages of 10 through 18 when most users start smoking, chewing, or dipping & become addicted to tobacco. It examines the health effects of early smoking & smokeless tobacco use, the reasons that young men & women begin using tobacco, the extent to which they use tobacco, tobacco advertising & promotional activities (history of cigarette advertising to the young); & efforts to prevent tobacco use by young people (public opinion; educational efforts; & public policies). Charts, tables & graphs. Glossary. Index.

"The title of our hearing, 'Can Tobacco Cure Smoking?' at first blush seems counterintuitive. However, there is an increasing amount of research suggesting that some tobacco products are less harmful than others. For those smokers who can't seem to quit smoking, switching to a less hazardous product could save lives. Today we will hear from a diverse group of experts espousing a range of opinions on issues of tobacco harm reduction. We worked closely with the minority to insure a fair and balance panel of witnesses that can speak to the science of this issue"--Page 2