Doctors Say Overexposure To Nicotine Can Be Toxic
Jump to full article: NBC17 (NC), 2003-11-11
Intro: "I can't smoke when I am at school," one teen said.
So, some teens are turning to nicotine replacement products like patches, gum and even lozenges, according to a study by the University of Tennessee.
"We had several measures of misuse in this study," Dr. Lisa Klesges said.
Klesges found that 75 percent of teen smokers admitted to using nicotine replacement products for reasons other than quitting.
"They reported using it in situations where they could not smoke," Klesges said.
Some kids even admitted smoking and using the products simultaneously. . . .
Dr. Jonathan Klein, with the American Academy of Pediatrics, warns the more nicotine a child ingests in any form, the more dangerous it becomes.
"Nicotine is a very powerful, addictive drug," Klein said. "Anyone can overdose on nicotine if they take in too much of it. And certainly, younger children are particularly susceptible." . . .
NBC 17 contacted several manufacturers of the nicotine products. Only Glaxo Smith-Kline responded. The company points out its products are not intended for use by people under 18 and said they are "committed to preventing the inappropriate use of nicotine replacement therapies by adolescents." . . .
Researchers at the University of Tennessee found 50 percent of the kids under 18 interviewed reported an easy time purchasing nicotine replacement products. Some of the teens interviewed for the study said they used the patch or gum even though they didn't smoke.
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