Call to quit chewing tobacco for No Smoking Day

Rochdale’s Asian community is being urged to cut out chewing tobacco as the nation gears up to mark No Smoking Day on 14 March.

Chewing tobacco, sometimes known as paan, gutkha or mukhwas, is often chewed after meals as a digestive aid and is viewed by many as being harmless.

But health bosses are warning that it is as dangerous as ordinary tobacco and users are at considerably increased risk of mouth, pancreatic and oesophageal cancer.

Now, in a bid to highlight the dangers, Rochdale Council’s Trading Standards Officers are gearing up to visit Mosques and community centres across the borough in the coming months.

Chewing tobacco contains highly toxic ingredients, including arsenic (rat poison), formaldehyde (embalming fluid) and polonium 210 (nuclear waste).

Dr Rebecca Craven, Consultant in Dental Public Health for NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, said: “In the UK, four people die everyday from mouth cancer, and if you chew tobacco, you’re seriously increasing your risk.

“We would urge anyone who has symptoms including ulcers that do not heal after 2-3 weeks, white or red patches inside the mouth and unusual lumps in the mouth to visit their dentist as soon as possible. It may not be mouth cancer, but it’s really important to get it checked and get effective treatment if it is something serious. The crucial thing is to catch it early.”

Anyone who would like support in giving up chewing tobacco, is asked to phone the NHS Asian Tobacco Helpline on 0800 169 0881 for support in Urdu or 0800 169 0885 for support in Bengali.