Great American Smokeout highlights the harmful effects of tobacco and the importance of 'kicking the habit'
November 19, 2008 (Vol. 11, No. 178) – Most everyone knows that smoking and tobacco products are the leading cause of lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease. But did you know that smoking also increases your risk for the following:Acid Reflux: People who smoke for more than 20 years are 70 percent more likely to have acid reflux disease than nonsmokers, researchers reported in the scientific journal Gut.
Alzheimer's Disease: In the elderly years, the rate of mental decline is up to five times faster in smokers than in nonsmokers, according to a study of 9,200 men and women over age 65.
Blindness: Smokers are four times more likely to become blind because of age-related macular degeneration than those who have never smoked. But quitting can lower that risk, other research shows.
Breast Cancer: Research shows that active smoking may play a much larger role in increasing breast cancer risk than previously thought.
Colic: Exposure to tobacco smoke may increase babies' risk of colic, according to a review of more than 30 studies on the topic.
Lupus: Smoking cigarettes raises the risk of developing lupus, the chronic autoimmune disease – but quitting cuts that risk, an analysis of nine studies shows.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Certain genetically vulnerable smokers can be nearly 16 times more likely to develop the disease than nonsmokers without the same genetic profile, according to the study in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.
SIDS: Smoking increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, a European analysis shows.
Snoring: Smoking – or living with a smoker – can cause snoring, according to a study of more than 15,000 men and women.
“Simply stated, tobacco is clearly bad for you,” said David Norgard, Vice President, Human Resources. “Quest Diagnostics recognizes this and that is why we have been offering our U.S.-based employees, their spouses and/or domestic partners the Free & Clear program since 2005. More than a third of the 3,000 participants in the program to date have successfully been able to kick the habit. Best of all, the company fully subsidizes participation in the program.”
Tomorrow, Thursday, November 20, is the Great American Smokeout. In conjunction with this event, the company encourages all our employees, family members, customers and patients to go “tobacco free.” For those who smoke, this is the perfect opportunity to begin to “kick the habit.”
Participation in the Great American Smokeout is simple: You just quit smoking for the 24 hours of the Smokeout. Even if you don’t go on to quit permanently, you will have learned that you can quit for a day and that many others around you are taking the step, too.
As a company that is focused on the health and wellbeing of individuals, we’re taking the occasion of the Great American Smokeout to announce the final steps of our plan to adopt a tobacco free policy for the Quest Diagnostics family of companies. The company’s new tobacco policy will emphasize all the benefits that the Great American Smokeout provides. The new policy has two key dates. Beginning January 1, 2009, all Quest Diagnostics vehicles will be tobacco free. Then by April 1, 2009 at the latest, all company facilities and properties will be tobacco free.
"We are taking this step to snuff out tobacco use because we care about our people and it will save lives," David said. "Tobacco use, and smoking in particular, causes immense human misery, not to mention that tobacco use drives a substantial portion of the healthcare, disability and lost work time costs of the overall economy. We are in the ‘healthcare’ industry; we see the effects of tobacco use everyday in our diagnostic work and we need to be ‘true’ to the spirit of healthcare and do our part to eliminate the leading cause of cancer deaths. We believe that we will make a smooth transition to a tobacco-free company because we have the support programs in place and approximately 50 percent of our employees already work in tobacco-free facilities."