Deadly tobacco’s free run

NEW DELHI: Do you know what goes into your mouth when you empty that pack of chewing tobacco? Of course, you don’t. Virtually no one knows, and no one seems to care.
The Delhi state government’s prevention of food adulteration (PFA) department, the only agency to regulate consumables in the city, has no guidelines on the addictive contents of chewing tobacco pouches.And the department has not tested even a single sample to detect adulteration and impurities.
There is no specification on the quantity of nicotine that can be sold in a pouch. According to medical publications, 5 mg of nicotine can kill within a matter of 20 minutes.
Nevertheless, a large number of brands and an even greater number of fake brands do brisk business every day. The clientele varies from bus drivers, slum dwellers to middle class housewives. A regular gutka or khaini pouch sells for a rupee. The better brands cost up to Rs five for a packet.
Chewing tobacco products are the cheapest. And about 20 per cent of cancer cases in the country are caused due to these products. Delhi state health minister A K Walia had expressed his desire to ban the sale of these products in Delhi.
He said though the nitty-gritty of the ban was yet to be worked out, he was firm about doing away with the sale of chewing tobacco.
PFA department director K S Wahi said: ‘‘We hardly ever receive any complaint about this product. Although all food stuff is in our purview, we have not picked up samples off late.’’ He said lack of adequate infrastructure and manpower added to the problems.
As per the PFA Act, tobacco products may contain betel nut, lime, saffron, cardamom, coconut, dry fruits, aromatic herbs, spices, sugar, glycerine and menthol. ‘‘Even though our laboratory is fully equipped to test all kind of ingredients, we only look for the presence of substances mentioned in the Act,’’ said Wahi.
Head of Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital in AIIMS, Dr Vinod Kochupillai said: ‘‘Tobacco chewing leads to mouth cancer. Even though these cancers are easily detectable, patients usually tend to neglect the symptoms. Most patients we receive are well into the final stages of the disease.’’
She said: ‘‘It usually takes a few years before tobacco addiction leads to cancer. The process begins early. But if the habit is given up, with time the damage reduces.’’