Oral Cancer Victim More Than Just A Statistic

9/26/2002

From: Liz Rogers, 312-836-9900 Meghan O'Connell, 410-730-4133 both of the National Spit Tobacco Education Program

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- At the 3rd International Conference of Smokeless Tobacco today in Stockholm, representatives of the scientific community from across the globe agreed that more research is needed to fully understand the impact of spit tobacco on oral health. The majority would agree with the position of Oral Health America's National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP) that until this research is done, United States Smokeless Tobacco Company's (USST) efforts to make health claims in its marketing should be rejected.

"What is the acceptable amount of damage from oral cancer?" asked Paul Turner, director of NSTEP. "How many oral cancer cases does it take for us to include spit tobacco in our tobacco control message? This is not rocket science. Tobacco use in any form can lead to cancer, and it is irresponsible and unethical to imply that one form is safer than another."

USST, formerly known as UST, has withdrawn the petition it filed in February 2002, requesting that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allow the company to advertise its spit tobacco products as a "safer alternative" to smoking. While initially this withdrawal may have been seen as a victory for anti-tobacco advocates, information in the withdrawal letter from USST implies that the company will soon re-submit the petition with new evidence that spit tobacco is "safer. "

When imprecise information is presented at a venue like the International Tobacco Conference, some medical professionals and the public fail to question the motives of the presenter. Stating that spit tobacco is "safer" based on a comparison of numbers of people who get cancer from smoking to those who get cancer from chewing or dipping glosses over the fact that in reality, these numbers represent real people who are losing their lives or suffering severe disfigurement. Given that there are safe over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapies available, any advice by a medical professional to use spit tobacco under any circumstances is the most grotesque form of malpractice imaginable.

"The tobacco industry is incredibly savvy in framing evidence to suit their purposes," says Gruen Von Behrens, NSTEP spokesman and oral cancer victim. "I regret every day I used spit tobacco, and I'm paying for it now. Nothing USST says will convince me that spit tobacco is harmless. I just hope that the rest of the world continues to question their motives and actions, because ultimately, their goal is to sell tobacco products, addict new users. But we are people, and potential cancer victims, not just statistics."

Von Behrens recently joined NSTEP's efforts to educate the public about the health risks of spit tobacco use. He started using spit tobacco at 13, and by 17 was diagnosed with oral cancer. Since his diagnosis, Von Behrens has endured almost 30 disfiguring and painful surgeries.

Oral Health America is the nation's premier, fully independent organization dedicated to improving oral health. NSTEP was founded in 1994 to educate people, especially young people, about the dangers of spit tobacco use. NSTEP receives major funding through a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.