Question: Can smoking bidis cause cancer?
I heard that smoking bidis are safer than regular cigraettes. Is this true?
Answer: Bidis are unfiltered cigarettes imported from India. Because of the natural looking appearance, many people think they are safe. However bidis are not safe to smoke. Bidis contain 3 times as much nicotine and carbon monoxide and 5 times as much tar as smoke from regular filtered cigarettes, making them more addictive than normal cigarettes.
In fact, smoking a bidi is more dangerous than regular filtered cigarettes. It is wrapped in a longer burning paper, with a potential of 46 puffs per bidi, compared to 9 per regular filtered cigarette.
Smoking bidis puts you at risk for lung, oral, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach and liver cancer, not to mention heart disease.
The packaging that bidis are sold in may not have a label warning of the health risks involved of smoking them. However, the bottom line is that bidis no safer to smoke than regular cigarettes.
Created: 12/15/2005
Source: American Lung Association of Oregon. http://www.lungoregon.org/tobacco/bidis.html
In fact, smoking a bidi is more dangerous than regular filtered cigarettes. It is wrapped in a longer burning paper, with a potential of 46 puffs per bidi, compared to 9 per regular filtered cigarette.
Smoking bidis puts you at risk for lung, oral, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach and liver cancer, not to mention heart disease.
The packaging that bidis are sold in may not have a label warning of the health risks involved of smoking them. However, the bottom line is that bidis no safer to smoke than regular cigarettes.
Created: 12/15/2005
Source: American Lung Association of Oregon. http://www.lungoregon.org/tobacco/bidis.html
