Prevention – Tobacco
Cigarette Consumption
Global consumption of cigarettes has been rising steadily since manufactured cigarettes were introduced at the beginning of the 20th century. While consumption is leveling off and even decreasing in some countries, worldwide more people are smoking, and smokers are smoking more cigarettes.
The numbers of smokers will increase mainly due to expansion of the world’s population. By 2030 there will be at least another 2 billion in the world. Even if prevalence rates fall the absolute number of smokers will increase.
The consumption of tobacco has reached the proportions of a global epidemic. Tobacco companies are cranking out cigarettes at the rate of five and a half trillion a year – nearly 1000 cigarettes for every man, woman and child in the planet.
Health risks
Tobacco is packed with harmful and addictive substances. Scientific evidence has shown that conclusively that all forms of tobacco cause health problems throughout life, frequently resulting in death or disability.
Smokers have markedly increased risks of multiple cancers, particularly lung cancer, and are at far greater risk heart disease, strokes, emphysema and many other fatal and non- fatal diseases. If they chew tobacco, they risk cancer of the lip, tongue and mouth.
Women suffer additional heath risks. Smoking in pregnancy is dangerous to the mother as well as to the fetus, especially in poor countries where health facilities are inadequate.
Maternal smoking is not only dangerous during pregnancy, but has long- term effects on the baby after birth. This is often compounded by exposure to passive smoking from the mother, father or other adults smoking.
While tobacco kills millions research is underway examining any possible health benefits of nicotine and also trying to find a safe use for tobacco, particularly in the field of genetic modification. The aim is to produce vaccines or human proteins for medical use, or even to clean up soil that has been contaminated with explosives.
Passive smoking
A complex mixture of chemical is generated from the burning and smoking of tobacco. As a passive smoker the non-smoker breaths ‘sidestream’ smoke from the burning tip of the cigarette and ‘mainstream’ smoke that has been inhaled and then exhaled by the smoker.
The risk of lung cancer in non-smokers exposed to passive smoking is increased by between 20 to 30 percent, and the excess risk of heart disease is 23 percent.
Deaths
Cigarettes kill half of all lifetime users. Half die in middle age – between 35 and 69.
No other consumer product is as dangerous or kills as many people. Tobacco kills more than AIDS, legal drugs, illegal drugs, road accidents, murder, and suicide combined.
While 0.1 billion people died from tobacco use in the 20th century, ten times as many will die in the 21st century. Maternal smoking during pregnancy is a major cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Premature deaths from tobacco worldwide in 2000 were 4.2 million, of which 3.4 million were men and 0.8 million were women.
Published by the World Health Orgaanization : ‘The Tobacco Atlas’ by Dr. Judith Mackey and Dr. Michael Eriksein.
When Smokers Quit
20 Minutes After Quitting
- Your blood pressure drops to a level close to that before the last cigarette.
- Temperature of hands and feet increase to normal
8 Hours After Quitting
- Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
24 Hours After Quitting
- Chance of heart attack decreases
2 Weeks to 3 Months After Quitting
- Circulation improves
- Lung function increases up to 30%
1 to 9 Months After Quitting
- Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decrease
- Normal function of the lungs, increasing ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, reduce infection
1 Year After Quitting
- Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s
5 Years After Quitting
- Stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker’s 5-15 years after quitting
10 Years After Quitting
- Lung cancer death rate about half that of a continuing smoker’s
- Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas decrease
15 Years After Quitting
- Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker’s
|
