O World No Tobacco Day is celebrated on May 31st and it is a date to reflect on the risks associated with the use of the product. Tobacco use is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the world, accounting for approximately 8 million deaths annually. It is associated with the development of different types of cancers, in addition to contributing to the development of diseases such as gastrointestinal ulcers, cataracts and osteoporosis. May 31st is an important date for us to change our habits and influence other people.
Read too: What are the harmful effects of hookah?
Summary on World No Tobacco Day
World Tobacco Day is a date created by the World Health Organization.
It is celebrated on the 31st of May.
The date is an important occasion to disseminate information about the risk of tobacco use.
Tobacco kills over 8 million people each year.
Tobacco use is related to different types of cancer and also to problems such as cataracts, infertility, osteoporosis and respiratory infections.
Many deaths would be avoided if tobacco use were stopped.
When did World No Tobacco Day come about?
World No Tobacco Day is a date whose main objective is to make people aware of the problems triggered by tobacco use. A The date was created by the World Health Organization in 1987. and is celebrated on the 31st of May.
Importance of World No Tobacco Day
According to Inca, in Brazil, 443 people die every day because of smoking. This number is quite high and alerts us to the importance of rethinking our lifestyle, since deaths related to smoking are considered preventable.
World No Tobacco Day, by to bring à surface the riskss of this habit through linked campaigns around the world, makes quality information on the topic disseminated in the population and, with that, more people are aware of the risk they are exposed. By understanding the risk, it is expected that many of these people will abandon this terrible habit.
It is important to highlight that, according to data from the Pan American Health Organization, the smoking in Brazil it is falling and is the result of a strong policy to control this disease. According to the Organization, “among adults, the prevalence of smoking between 1989 and 2008 fell from 35% to 18.5%. The results of a national health survey indicated that the prevalence of smoking in 2013 fell to 14.7%”. Despite the decline, however, we need to continue fighting this threat.
Read too: What are the main causes of death in the world?
What is Tobacco?
Tobacco is the popular name given to different species of plants of the genus Nicotiana.From these species is extracted the nicotine, a stimulant substance which causes, among other problems, chemical dependency in users.
Among the so-called tobacco species, the nicotiana tabacum, widely cultivated and used in the tobacco industry. It is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Solanaceae family. Its leaves are light green and sticky, and the species has pink and tubular flowers.
Different products are made from tobacco, including cigarettes., straw cigarettes, snuff, hookah tobacco and electronic smoking devices. It is worth noting that in our country the sale, importation and advertising of any electronic devices for smoking, known as electronic cigarettes, is prohibited.
Smoking and its risks
The disease caused by addiction to nicotine is called smoking., a substance found in tobacco. It is a serious health problem, since around the world around 8 million people die as a result of using this product or exposure to secondhand smoke.
Tobacco use is related to the development of different types of cancer, including cancer of the larynx, oral cavity, stomach, colon and rectum, trachea, bronchi and lung. Furthermore, smoking contributes to the development of diseases such as:
cataract;
osteoporosis;
sexual impotence;
infertility;
respiratory infections;
pulmonary emphysema;
cerebrovascular accidents;
heart attacks;
gastrointestinal ulcer.
It is also worth noting that, in addition to causing individual problems, smoking also affects the healthcare system and economy of a region.
According to Inca data|1|, tobacco use It is associated with:
overload of the health system with treatment of diseases caused by smoking;
early deaths of citizens of working age;
higher rate of early retirement;
absences from work;
lower performance at work;
more expenses with insurance, cleaning, maintenance of equipment and replacement of furniture;
greater losses from fires caused by burning cigarette butts; It is
reduction in the quality of life of smokers and their families.
Data from the Pan American Health Organization on tobacco
Tobacco is extremely harmful to humans, being related to millions of deaths annually. See below some data from the Pan American Health Organization on tobacco|2|:
Tobacco kills up to half of its users.
Tobacco kills over 8 million people each year. More than 7 million of these deaths are the result of direct tobacco use, while about 1.2 million are the result of nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke.
Nearly 80% of the world's 1.1 billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries.
Grades
|1| Available in: https://www.gov.br/inca/pt-br/acesso-a-informacao/perguntas-frequentes/tabagismo#:~:text=Ocorre%20sobrecarga%20do%20sistema%20de, equipment%20e%20reposi%C3%A7%C3%A3o%20de%20mobili%C3%A1rios%3B.
|2| Available in: https://www.paho.org/pt/topicos/tabaco#:~:text=O%20tabaco%20mata%20mais%20de, of%20low%20e%20m%C3%A9dia%20rent.
By Vanessa Sardinha dos Santos
Biology teacher
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/datas-comemorativas/31-de-maio-dia-mundial-sem-tabaco.htm