News to Use:

Make 2008 the time to QUIT
the Tobacco Habit

Give yourself the best gift that you can this year- improve your health and wellbeing and that of those who live with you by quitting smoking.  Use of tobacco products comes in many different forms.  All have related cancer risk associated with their use but smoking tops the list.

Most people do not know the actual chemical content of tobacco smoke.  Tobacco smoke contains many chemicals (over 4000) that are generated and released during the burning process.  Some of these chemicals include: cadmium (heavy metal); carbon monoxide (engine exhaust); arsenic (poison); hydrogen cyanide (poison); benzene (industrial solvent); acetone (fingernail polish remover); formaldehyde (embalming fluid); and toluene (industrial solvent).  Many of these compounds are known cancer-causing chemicals and are so toxic that they fall under OSHA regulations for employees who have to work with them.

Your lungs/respiratory system is the second quickest way to get chemicals in to your body.  The quickest way is by injection of a chemical into your veins.  This is why we ask fire fighters to wear self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) respirators so that they do not breathe in toxic burning smoke and are supplied with fresh oxygen while fighting a fire. When you smoke a cigarette, it is the same as you fighting a small fire without a SCBA respirator.

Exposure to these chemicals in the smoke release what we call “free radicals.”  Free radicals cause changes at the cellular level in your lung tissue and cause changes that result in unhealthy tissue setting up an excellent environment for cancer and other respiratory diseases to develop.

Give yourself healthier lungs in 2008.  Take advantage of your smoking cessation resources:

View tobacco cessation resources and also check out the CIGNA Quit Today information at www.cignabehavioral.com.  

Once on the CIGNA Behavioral Health site:

• look under the Members link and click on “Login to access your benefits”
• enter wakecounty in the Employee ID field
• on the Members page, click on left side bar link titled “Quit Your Tobacco Addiction”
• See Quit Today Program information
• Your program information and enrollment contact information is right there.

If you are trying to quit either through Wake County Employee Health, through CIGNA’s Quit Today or on your own, we would love to support your effort and recognize your accomplishment when you have reached your goal.  Please email Robin Cassidy, RN, ANP/Employee Health at Robin.Cassidy@co.wake.nc.us or Ruth Barlow, RN/ Wellness Coordinator at Ruth.Barlow@co.wake.nc.us and let us know how you are doing.