Facts

UPRISE IS AGAINST EVERYTHING THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY STANDS FOR.
CHECK OUT THE FACTS BELOW TO SEE WHY YOU SHOULD STAND WITH UPRISE

INDUSTRY MANIPULATION

FACTS:

Big tobacco has targeted young Canadians since 1984. Vapes are just another way to do it.


Perhaps we could develop cigarettes that would not have to be lit with a flame ..."- Confidential tobacco industry document, 1976.


Strategies proposed in 1984 in a confidential tobacco industry document: 1. Develop and introduce new products that can act as an acceptable alternative to both cigarettes and quitting. 2. Initiate projects to {ensure} the continued uptake of tobacco products by young Canadians.


“No young person should ever try our product.” ―Vape Company Executive


The vape industry is mostly owned by Big Tobacco. RJ Reynolds Vapor Co (a subsidiary of Reynolds America) owns VUSE, British American Tobacco owns Vype, Altria (formerly Philip Morris) owns Mark Ten, and Imperial Tobacco owns Blu.

SOURCE: US Department of Health and Human Services. (2016). E-cigarette use among youth and young adults. A report of the Surgeon General. Retrieved March 1, 2018.


“It just sort of took over...”-Christian
“for me...it’s been incredibly hard to kick it...” -Dieter
“....this is a recipe for addiction...” -Peyton


“...and this f**** thing is custom-designed to make you...use it more.”


“Vape startup raising another $1.2 Billion”


The company recently modified the names of its flavours — using creme instead of crème brûlée and cucumber instead of cool cucumber.


Chemical

FACTS:

Acetone. Formaldehyde. Carcinogens. If you vape, it gets in your body.
Newer vapes also produce formaldehyde (what they use to preserve dead bodies), acetone (nail polish remover and paint thinner), acetaldehyde (a chemical in glue), and other carcinogens in their vapour.

SOURCE: Jensen, R. P., Luo, W., Pankow, J. F., Strongin, R. M., & Peyton, D. H. (2015). Hidden formaldehyde in e-cigarette aerosols. New England Journal of Medicine, 372(4), 392-394.
Reilly, S. M., Bitzer, Z. T., Goel, R., Trushin, N., & Richie Jr, J. P. (2018). Free Radical, Carbonyl, and Nicotine Levels Produced by Juul Electronic Cigarettes. Nicotine & tobacco research: official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.
Sleiman, M., Logue, J. M., Montesinos, V. N., Russell, M. L., Litter, M. I., Gundel, L. A., & Destaillats, H. (2016). Emissions from electronic cigarettes: key parameters affecting the release of harmful chemicals. Environmental science & technology, 50(17), 9644-9651.


Vapes can emit up to 31 different chemicals like formaldehyde.

SOURCE: Sleiman, M., Logue, J. M., Montesinos, V. N., Russell, M. L., Litter, M. I., Gundel, L. A., & Destaillats, H. (2016). Emissions from electronic cigarettes: key parameters affecting the release of harmful chemicals. Environmental science & technology, 50(17), 9644-9651.


Further, toxic metal particles such as chromium are found in vape juice and the metal can build in your lungs over time.

SOURCE: Olmedo, P., Goessler, W., Tanda, S., Grau-Perez, M., … & Rule, A.M. (2018). Metal concentrations in e-cigarette liquid and aerosol samples: the contribution of metallic coils. Environmental Health Perspectives, 126(2), 1-11.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). 2012. Toxicological Profile for Chromium. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.


Juul’s own patent states: “[N]icotine salt formulations provide satisfaction…comparable to smoking a traditional cigarette.”

Nicotine

FACTS:

One 3% vape pod contains 23mg of nicotine
One 5% vape pod contains about 40mg of nicotine

One 3% pod has as much nicotine as you get from an entire pack of cigarettes.

SOURCE: Jarvis, M. J., Boreham, R., Primatesta, P., Feyerabend, C., & Bryant, A. (2001). Nicotine yield from machine-smoked cigarettes and nicotine intakes in smokers: evidence from a representative population survey. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 93(2), 134-138.
Federal Trade Commission. (2000). Tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide of the smoke of 1294 varieties of domestic cigarettes for the year 1998. Washington DC: Federal Trade Commission.

One 5% pod can have nearly twice the nicotine content as you get from an entire pack of some types of cigarettes.

SOURCE: Bitzer, Z. T., Goel, R., Reilly, S. M., Elias, R. J., Silakov, A., Foulds, J., ... & Richie Jr, J. P. (2018). Effect of flavoring chemicals on free radical formation in electronic cigarette aerosols.Free Radical Biology and Medicine,120, 72-79.

Non-smoking young adults were four times more likely to start smoking after about 18 months of vaping.

SOURCE: Berry, K. M., Fetterman, J. L., Benjamin, E. J., Bhatnagar, A., Barrington-Trimis, J. L., Leventhal, A. M., & Stokes, A. (2019). Association of electronic cigarette use with subsequent initiation of tobacco cigarettes in US youths. JAMA network open, 2(2), e187794-e187794.

Newer vapes combine freebase nicotine with benzoic acid to create a stronger nicotine hit that can get you addicted faster.

SOURCE: Jenssen, B. P., & Boykan, R. (2019). Electronic Cigarettes and Youth in the United States: A Call to Action (at the Local, National and Global Levels). Children, 6(2), 30.
Jackler, R. K., & Ramamurthi, D. (2019). Nicotine arms race: JUUL and the high-nicotine product market. Tobacco Control, tobaccocontrol-2018.

The nicotine you get in one vape pod can be as much as an entire pack of cigarettes.

SOURCE: Bitzer, Z. T., Goel, R., Reilly, S. M., Elias, R. J., Silakov, A., Foulds, J., ... & Richie Jr, J. P. (2018). Effect of flavoring chemicals on free radical formation in electronic cigarette aerosols.Free Radical Biology and Medicine,120, 72-79.
Goniewicz, M. L., Boykan, R., Messina, C. R., Eliscu, A., & Tolentino, J. (2018). High exposure to nicotine among adolescents who use Juul and other vape pod systems (‘pods’).Tobacco control, tobaccocontrol-2018.
Federal Trade Commission. (2000). Tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide of the smoke of 1294 varieties of domestic cigarettes for the year 1998. Washington DC: Federal Trade Commission.
Jarvis, M. J., Boreham, R., Primatesta, P., Feyerabend, C., & Bryant, A. (2001). Nicotine yield from machine-smoked cigarettes and nicotine intakes in smokers: evidence from a representative population survey. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 93(2), 134-138.

Nicotine salts deliver the chemical almost exactly like a cigarette.

SOURCE: Benowitz, N. L., Hukkanen, J., & Jacob, P. (2009). Nicotine chemistry, metabolism, kinetics and biomarkers. In Nicotine psychopharmacology (pp. 29-60). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

Industry Manipulation

FACTS:

13 people around the world die from tobacco-related causes every minute.


There are 7 million tobacco-related deaths annually, and while people are dying, Big Tobacco is profiting US $62 billion.

World Hunger

FACT:

Tobacco production damages the environment and diverts agricultural land that could be used to grow food. If all of the tobacco farms were turned into food farms, millions of people could be fed.

SOURCE: Eriksen, M., Mackay, J., & Ross, H. (2012, p.52). The Tobacco Atlas (4th ed.). Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society. New York, NY: World Lung Foundation.

Pollution

FACT:

When cigarette butts are littered in water, chemicals seep out of them that are toxic to aquatic life.

SOURCE: Eriksen, M., Mackay, J., & Ross, H. (2012, p.52). The Tobacco Atlas (4th ed.). Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society. New York, NY: World Lung Foundation.

Industry Manipulation

FACT:

Annual tobacco industry profits amount to $6,000 for every person whom their products kill worldwide.


Not-So-Personal Decision

FACT:

Every year in Canada, second-hand smoke causes 800 deaths from lung cancer and heart disease in non-smokers.

SOURCE: Eriksen, M., Mackay, J., & Ross, H. (2012). The Tobacco Atlas (4th ed.). Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society. New York, NY: World Lung Foundation.

Deforestation

FACT:

Each year, 20,000 hectares (49,400 acres) of forest are cut down and burned in order to produce the heat required to dry tobacco leaves before they can be used in cigarettes.

SOURCE: Eriksen, M., Mackay, J., & Ross, H. (2012). The Tobacco Atlas (4th ed.). Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society. New York, NY: World Lung Foundation.

Other Tobacco Products

FACT:

Water pipe smokers may absorb even more of the toxins also found in cigarette smoke than cigarette smokers do. This is because smoking sessions are longer and smokers puff more frequently. A typical 1-hour hookah session involves inhaling 100–200 times the volume of smoke from a single cigarette


INDUSTRY MANIPULATION

FACT:

The tobacco industry adds chemicals like the ones listed below to make cigarettes more addictive, easier to smoke, and better tasting. A puff of cigarette smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals.

  • Toluene (found in paint thinners)
  • Formaldehyde (used to preserve dead bodies)
  • Benzene (found in gasoline)
  • Hydrazine (found in rocket fuel)
  • Cadmium (found in batteries)
  • Methanol (found in antifreeze)
  • Urea (found in urine)
  • Ammonia (found in cleaning supplies)

Pollution

FACT:

Plastic pieces of cigarette butts have been found in the stomachs of marine creatures that mistake them for food. Land animals have also been killed after mistakenly eating cigarette butts.


Pollution

FACT:

An estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are discarded annually, making them the most common type of litter on earth.


Industry Manipulation

FACT:

Big tobacco targeted people living with mental illness by handing out free cigarettes at psychiatric facilities.

In Canada, people living with a mental illness are twice as likely to smoke cigarettes.

SOURCES: Apollonio D, Malone R. Marketing to the marginalised: tobacco industry targeting of the homeless and mentally ill. Tobacco Control. 2005; 14(6): 1-24.

Kirst, Mecredy, & Chaiton. The Prevalence of Tobacco Use Co-morbidities in Canada. Can J Public Health 2013;104(3):e210-e215.

Industry Manipulation

FACT:

The following terms are all taken from Big Tobacco’s files that have been used to describe their customers:


  • Problems with their own self esteem
  • Has menial, boring job
  • Passive-aggressive
  • Probably leads fairly dull existence
  • Grooming not a strong priority
  • Lacks inner resources
  • Non-thinking
  • Insecure follower


Animal Cruelty

FACT:

In one study, beagles were given tracheostomies so that pipes could be inserted into their throats, forcing them to smoke.

SOURCE: Owen, T.B. (n.d.). Respiratory Impairment in Beagles Exposed to Cigarette Smoke. British American Tobacco. Bates No. 100247477.

Other Tobacco Products

FACT:

A typical hookah session exposes you to almost 2 times as much nicotine, 8 times more carbon monoxide, and 36 times more tar than a cigarette. In a typical hookah session, you can inhale as much carbon monoxide as if you had smoked 11 cigarettes.


Animal Cruelty

FACT:

Starting in the 1970s, Philip Morris set up a secret research laboratory in Germany where they conducted research on secondhand smoke, including animal testing on rats. Despite finding that secondhand smoke was harmful to health, Philip Morris hid the results and continued to state that secondhand smoke is not harmful.

SOURCE: Diethelm, P.A., Rielle, J., & McKee, M. (2005). The whole truth and nothing but the truth? The research that Philip Morris did not want you to see. Lancet, 366: 86-92.
* This fact is a general summary of the source. An appropriate excerpt might be “Philip Morris was, contrary to its contemporary public statements, aware of the greater health risks posed by sidestream smoke from the early 1980s. However, the company appears to have chosen not to publish this even as it was conducting research to refute emerging evidence about the dangers of passive smoking.” (page 90, right column, second paragraph)

Pollution

FACT:

Tobacco leaches the soil of many nutrients, so fertilizers and pesticides are heavily used in tobacco production. These chemicals endanger workers and create runoff that pollutes the environment.

SOURCE: Eriksen, M., Mackay, J., & Ross, H. (2012, p.52). The Tobacco Atlas (4th ed.). Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society. New York, NY: World Lung Foundation.