World No Tobacco Day (31 May) 

According to WHO, tobacco use kills more than 8 million people around the world each year, a number that is predicted to grow unless anti-tobacco actions are increased. In the United States, tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of death and disease. It causes many types of cancer, as well as heart disease, stroke, lung disease, and other health problems.

This year, WHO is encouraging efforts that empower young people to stand up to big tobacco companies by resisting their ads and marketing, refusing to use any tobacco or nicotine products (including e-cigarettes and other vaping devices), and helping to spread the message among their friends. They are encouraging famous people, the media, and other influencers including parents and teachers to protect young people from these harmful messages.

According to WHO, tobacco companies use many ways to appeal to young people:

  • Flavors. Some tobacco and nicotine products come in cherry, bubble gum, cotton candy and many more.
  • Design. Certain types of products are shaped like USB sticks or candy, making them attractive, easy to carry, and easy to hide.
  • Unproven Claims. Tobacco companies sometimes say certain products, such as vaping devices, are “cleaner” or “less harmful” than smoking, even though there is not enough scientific evidence to back up those claims.
  • Endorsements. Contests, paid celebrities, and “influencers” are used to promote products on social media.
  • Point-of-sale. Placing products in stores near sweets, snacks, and sodas makes it more likely young people will see them.
  • Movies and More. Showing tobacco and nicotine products in movies, TV, and streaming shows can make them seem appealing.
  • Vending machines that sell tobacco products. They can be covered with advertising and placed at venues where young people often go.

Studies show that most people who smoke started when they were teenagers. The younger someone is when they begin to use tobacco and nicotine products, the more likely they are to become addicted. This is why it’s so important for young people to stay away from smoking and vaping.

What is secondhand smoke?

Secondhand smoke is also called environmental tobacco smoke. It’s a mixture of two forms of smoke that come from burning tobacco:

  • Mainstream smoke: The smoke exhaled by a smoker.
  • Side-stream smoke: Smoke from the lighted end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar, or tobacco burning in a hookah. This type of smoke has higher concentrations of cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) and is more toxic than mainstream smoke. It also has smaller particles than mainstream smoke. These smaller particles make their way into the lungs and the body’s cells more easily.

When non-smokers are exposed to its secondhand smoke involuntary smoking or passive smoking. Non-smokers who breathe in Secondhand smoke take in nicotine and toxic chemicals the same way smokers do. The more SHS you breathe, the higher the levels of these harmful chemicals in your body.

Why is secondhand smoke a problem?

  • Secondhand smoke has the same harmful chemicals that smokers inhale. There is no safe level of exposure for secondhand smoke.
  • Secondhand smoke causes cancer.
  • Secondhand smoke is known to cause cancer. It has more than 7,000 chemicals, including at least 70 that can cause cancer.
  • SHS causes lung cancer – even in people who have never smoked.

Quitting smoking lowers your risk of diabetes, lets blood vessels work better, and helps your heart and lungs. Life expectancy for smokers is at least 10 years shorter than that of non-smokers. Quitting smoking before the age of 40 reduces the risk of dying from smoking-related disease by about 90%.

The benefits of quitting that you will notice right away

  • Kicking the tobacco habit offers some rewards that you’ll notice right away and some that will show up over time.
  • Right away you’ll save the money you spent on tobacco! And here are just a few other benefits you may notice:
  • Food tastes better.
  • Your sense of smell returns to normal.
  • Your breath, hair, and clothes smell better.
  • Your teeth and fingernails stop yellowing.
  • Ordinary activities leave you less out of breath (for example, climbing stairs or light housework).
  • You can be in smoke-free buildings without having to go outside to smoke.
  • Quitting also helps stop the damaging effects of tobacco on how you look, including premature wrinkling of your skin, gum disease, and tooth loss.

Sources:
https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/world-no-tobacco-day.html
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/tobacco-and-cancer/secondhand-smoke.html