The straw cigarette, the famous “paieiro”, widely consumed in the interior of the country, especially in rural areas, has been gaining more and more space in large cities, among an unusual audience: young people. It is increasingly common to see young adults rolling their own cigarettes in tissue paper or a corn husk in bars and clubs.
In addition to the almost ritualistic appeal of the practice, adherents believe that they are consuming a more natural product that is less harmful to their health than common industrialized cigarettes. However, experts interviewed by GLOBO are categorical in saying that this is not just a myth, as straw cigarettes can be even more harmful than traditional cigarettes in many aspects.
— Because it is chopped rope tobacco, considered natural, there is this myth. But this belief is completely inadequate — says pulmonologist Milena Tenório Cerezoli, from BP – A Beneficência Portuguesa in São Paulo.
Due to its preparation process, straw cigarettes have more nicotine and more tar than conventional cigarettes. This makes this product more toxic per unit.
— We consider that one straw cigarette is equivalent to three conventional cigarettes. People think they are smoking less when they are smoking exactly the same thing — warns pulmonologist Paulo Corrêa, coordinator of the Smoking Committee of the Brazilian Society of Pulmonology and Phthisiology (SBPT) and professor at the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP).
In addition to containing a greater amount of carbon monoxide per unit, straw cigarettes do not contain substances that keep burning while the person is not inhaling, as happens with traditional cigarettes. For comparison, the industrialized cigarette smoker normally smokes two to three fifths of the cigarette because between puffs, it continues to burn. The straw cigarette simply goes out and can be lit again, which means that the person smokes the entire cigarette.
According to Corrêa, there are several studies, including Brazilian ones, which have shown that straw cigarette smokers develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) earlier than a traditional cigarette user or reach a higher degree of the disease by smoking a number three to four. times fewer cigarettes per day.
The absence of a filter is another point that weighs against straw cigarettes. Although the filter does not provide great protection when it comes to inhaling toxic substances, its absence generates greater heating in the mouth region, which further increases the risk of other types of tumor, such as cancer of the mouth, larynx, esophagus. and pharynx.
As for the belief that paiero smoke generates fewer toxic substances, experts guarantee that it is not. It is precisely the process of burning tobacco, combustion, that produces these substances. And there is combustion in both conventional and straw cigarettes.
Therefore, straw cigarettes carry the same risks as traditional cigarettes and other forms of combustion tobacco consumption, such as cigars, pipes and hookahs. They are: increased risk of at least 16 types of cancer, the main one being lung cancer; increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as angina, heart attack and stroke; respiratory diseases such as COPD, also called chronic bronchitis or emphysema, and increased susceptibility to and mortality from tuberculosis.
— There is one more detail that is very little studied, which are the substances generated by burning straw, in addition to all the substances generated by burning the tobacco itself. So, contrary to popular belief, in reality you are exposed to greater risk — says Corrêa.
Another harm pointed out by experts is the high potential for addiction generated by this type of cigarette, due to the presence of high levels of nicotine.
— Regardless of the presentation, all types of tobacco lead to dependence — says cardiologist Jaqueline Scholz, director of the Smoking Treatment Program at InCor.
Marketing illusion
But, after all, where did this myth that straw cigarettes are better than conventional cigarettes come from? And how did a type of tobacco consumption exclusive to Brazil, common in the interior, gain all this hype?
— The industry manages to spread false myths in society — points out the pulmonologist.
A study carried out by the Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC), at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, indicates strong marketing in straw cigarette packaging in Brazil. The materials used – burnt tobacco wrapped in corn husks – give the consumer the perception that this is a natural and “artisanal” product, a term that appears in 94% of straw cigarette brand variants.
Furthermore, a third of the packages analyzed – collected in São Paulo, Salvador and Manaus – present terms such as “light” and “smooth”, which are prohibited on all tobacco packages, as they contribute to the perception that the product is less harmful.
A study recently carried out by Corrêa and his team, with 900 UFOP students, to understand the profile of electronic cigarette use among young people in Brazil observed a high consumption of straw cigarettes. Among the reasons for using it are the fact that it is more “natural” and “healthier” than the traditional one.
Another worrying point observed in the study presented at the XIX Congress of Pulmonology and Phthisiology of the State of Rio de Janeiro, held in October, is the polyuse of tobacco.
— In our research we saw several users with polyuse, that is, who use electronic cigarettes, straw cigarettes, conventional cigarettes and hookahs. This wasn’t something common in the past — laments Corrêa.
For experts, the big mistake is looking for alternative ways of consuming tobacco that are more “natural” or potentially “less harmful”.
— It’s all fantasy. The person exchanges six for half a dozen, is subject to the same health problems and suffers withdrawal in the same way — concludes Scholz.
