For all practical purposes, bidis are cigarettes, and they have similar health risks.
just the facts
Almost half of a group of teenagers surveyed in San Francisco thought that bidi smoking could not cause cancer. Some of the teenagers who participated in the survey didn't even realize that bidis contain tobacco!
Studies in India, where bidi smoking is common, have shown that the death rates of bidi smokers are as high as those of cigarette smokers and much higher than those of nonsmokers.
definition
Bidis are small, brown, hand-rolled cigarettes made in India and some Southeast Asian countries. They consist of tobacco that is wrapped in a leaf from a tendu or temburni plant and tied with a string at one end. Bidis are available in a variety of flavors, such as cherry, chocolate, and mango. Flavorings are used because bidis are made of poor quality tobacco, which would have an unpleasant taste to a smoker without the added flavor. Bidis are sold at about half the price of cigarettes.
explanation
In recent years, bidis have become popular among some teenagers because of the flavorings and low price. However, bidis are not a good alternative to cigarettes. For all practical purposes, bidis are cigarettes, and they have similar health risks. In fact, it may actually be more dangerous to smoke one bidi than one cigarette because the amount of nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other toxic substances produced by the bidi is higher.
Bidis are required to carry the same warning labels that cigarettes do because they are as harmful to your health as cigarettes. Unfortunately, though, some bidi smokers may not be aware that bidis are dangerous. Almost half of a group of teenagers surveyed in San Francisco thought that bidi smoking could not cause cancer. Some of the teenagers who participated in the survey didn't even realize that bidis contain tobacco! But the fact is that bidis do contain tobacco, and bidis, like other tobacco products, can cause cancers of the lung, mouth, throat, esophagus (the tube leading from the mouth to the stomach), and other organs, as well as heart disease and other smoking-related diseases. Studies in India, where bidi smoking is common, have shown that the death rates of bidi smokers are as high as those of cigarette smokers and much higher than those of nonsmokers.
