Extend life by kicking the habit Published Sept. 25, 2014 By Mary Nelson 60th Aerospace Medicine Squadron/Health and Wellness Center TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Air Force is serious about combating the use of tobacco products. Air Mobility Command and Travis Air Force Base's Health Promotion Flight mirror that feeling by partnering with the American Lung Association and David Grant USAF Medical Center's family practice physicians to support a tobacco cessation program. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that stubbing out cigarettes can extend a person's life by 14 years. Despite all of the ill effects tobacco has on health, among Travis' active-duty population, 16.2 percent use tobacco, with one squadron's usage rated at over 25 percent. Are you one of them? Did you know that smokers with a pack-a-day habit spend more than $1,000 per year to get the nicotine fix they crave? It's not only smokers who are affected by the effects of cigarettes. According to the CDC, as many as 2.5 million nonsmokers have died from the lethal effects of second-hand smoke since 1964 and 2014. If you are not ready to give up tobacco right now, try cutting back. If you are ready to quit, we have two options to assist you at Travis. You can attend a four-week class that meets once a week for one hour in the early evening. It is offered every month and taught by our knowledgeable DGMC family practice physicians or you can call ALA's Quit Line, which is the telephone counseling service we currently use. If you want to sign up for the class -- which we highly recommend as it is most successful -- call us at 424-0058. If you want to go through the ALA Quit Line, the toll-free number is 877-695-7848. Make sure you tell them you are with Travis Air Force Base and provide a valid email address if you opt for medication. One question we're frequently asked is what about E-cigarettes and vaping? First, for those who don't know, e-cigarettes, as defined by the American Heart Association, are battery-operated inhalers that consist of a rechargeable battery, a cartridge called a cartomizer and an LED that lights up at the end when puffing on the device. Vaping is the act of inhaling water vapor through a personal vaporizer or electronic cigarette. According to the AHA, when users draw on the device, the battery heats the liquid, which is then atomized into an inhalable vapor. The main components of the cartridge of liquid inhaled from an e-cigarette are a juice comprised of nicotine, propylene glycol, solvents and flavors. E-cigarettes can be dangerous. In an article from the March 2014 issue of Business Day, Matt Richtel, an American writer and journalist for The New York Times, said liquid nicotine can be lethal. "It can cause harm when it's inhaled, but it can also be harmful when ingested or absorbed through your skin," he wrote. "Only a small dose is dangerous -- less than one tablespoon of many of the e-liquids on the market is enough to kill an adult and as little as a teaspoon could kill a child." Children are often attracted to the colorful packing of these devices. E-cigarettes are not regulated by federal authorities. They are mixed on factory floors and in the back rooms of shops and sold legally in stores and online in small bottles that are kept casually around the house for regular refilling of e-cigarettes. The number of calls to poison control centers regarding e-cigarette, nicotine-infused liquids rose sharply every month between September 2010 and February 2014, from just one call per month to as many as 215 -- that's a rise from 0.3 percent to 41.7 percent of all emergency calls. As many as 51.1 percent of those calls involved accidental poisoning of kids under the age of 5. Roughly 42 percent involved adults age 20 or older. Some testing suggests it's not only the nicotine that may be dangerous. Certain e-cigarette devices may also release metals during use -- including tin in some cases -- as well as other impurities known to be toxic and/or carcinogenic. Among their concerns is the lack of disclosure of all the ingredients used as well as the unknown health and safety claims by manufacturers about their products. In 2009, for example, the Food and Drug Administration found some cartridges of liquid nicotine contained about 1 percent diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical ingredient also found in antifreeze. To make matters worse, the amount of nicotine listed on a cartridge label may not match the actual amount in the cartridge. FDA testing has found cartridges under the same manufacturing labels may release significantly different levels of nicotine, ranging from 26.8 to 43.2 micrograms nicotine per 100 milliliter puff. What about so-called "nicotine-free" cartridges? According to the FDA, lab tests indicate you're still getting a low dose, despite the claims. Despite marketing claims that e-cigarettes are safer than smoking tobacco, researchers are finding e-cig users experience diminished lung function, airway resistance and cellular changes, regardless of whether or not they currently or ever smoke cigarettes. In the lab, cells exposed to e-cigarette vapor show unhealthy changes similar to cells exposed to tobacco smoke. Studies have also shown that e-cigarettes could serve as a gateway drug to addict young people, who may go on to regular cigarettes or smokeless tobacco. Finally, what is the Air Force's official stance in this matter? AFI 40-102, Tobacco Use, establishes tobacco policy. The 2011 revision, explicitly included e-cigarettes under the definition of tobacco and thus subjects e-cigarettes to all the restrictions implemented for cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco. To learn more, or better yet, to kick the habit and extend your life, call the HAWC at 424-0058.