Do you know the harms of smoking? The World Health Organization report stated that smoking is one of the biggest public health problems ever encountered.
Although cigarette consumption worldwide has tended to decrease in recent years, it has increased 75 times compared to 3 years ago and 50 times compared to 1,5 years ago. Today's annual consumption is at the level of 5,2 trillion units. Stating that tobacco and tobacco products are widely used, the World Health Organization (WHO) calls the situation "tobacco epidemic".
It was announced that smoking causes the death of more than 8 million people a year and 1,3 million of the deaths are caused by passive smoking. Additionally, in another published report, WHO states that the production and consumption of tobacco causes 80 million tons of carbon emissions annually. 22 billion tons of water is used annually for tobacco production, and 5 percent of forest areas around the world are destroyed for tobacco production every year. Thus, non-smokers are also directly or indirectly affected by the bad consequences of smoking, although not as much as smokers.
Experts Warn!
Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. points out that all forms of tobacco use are harmful and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco. Özge Faydalıel Balcı said, “Smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide. Other tobacco products include hookah tobacco, cigars, cigarillos, heated tobacco, rolling tobacco, pipe tobacco, bidis, kreteks, and smokeless tobacco products. Hookahs, or electronic cigarettes, are tobacco products that produce aerosols containing nicotine and toxic chemicals upon heating tobacco or activating a device containing tobacco. They contain the highly addictive substance nicotine, non-tobacco additives, and are often flavored. Despite claims of risk reduction, there is no evidence to suggest that these products are any less harmful than traditional tobacco products. Many toxic substances found in tobacco smoke are found at significantly lower levels in the aerosol of these products. However, it contains other toxic substances such as glycidol, pyridine, dimethyl trisulfide, acetoin and methylglyoxal, which are sometimes found at higher levels than in tobacco smoke. In addition, some toxic substances found in hookah and electronic cigarette aerosols are not found in traditional cigarette smoke, and the amounts of these products are highly variable. "Some toxic substances contained in these products are carcinogenic," he said.
The Cause of Cancer and Many Other Diseases
Dr. Özge Faydalıel Balcı stated that smoking causes many diseases, especially cancer, in different parts of the body and added: “It is now a fact that smoking increases the possibility of cancer and heart diseases, and also has a negative effect on oral health. Smoking-related cancers include lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, bladder cancer, esophageal cancer and uterine cancer. In addition to cancer, asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are smoking-related lung diseases that significantly reduce the quality of life of users. In addition, we know from research that it causes a decrease in bone mass, especially in post-menopausal women, and that it disrupts the blood supply, especially of the extremities, by contracting the smooth muscles of the vascular wall through nicotine. It is also closely related to paralysis and stroke. "It delays wound healing after surgery, especially by impairing cell regeneration."
Counseling and Medication Increase Chances of Quitting
Underlining that most smokers who are aware of the dangers of tobacco want to quit smoking, Balcı said, “More than a quarter of the world's population living in 74 countries is protected by comprehensive national smoking ban laws. Counseling and medication can more than double a tobacco user's chances of successfully quitting. Although February 9 is commemorated as World No Tobacco Day, it should be seen as an opportunity to quit all tobacco products. In line with the practices in the world, there are counseling and medical support programs offered in clinics, especially smoking cessation polyclinics, and telephone counseling such as Alo 171 Quit Smoking Hotline in Turkey. Health services, especially Family Health Centers and Smoking Cessation Clinics, play an important role in this fight, especially as the first step in application. "Make an effort to protect yourself and your loved ones from the harmful effects of tobacco and tobacco products, remember that you are fighting an enemy with a high addictive effect, and do not hesitate to get support," he said.
