1. World No Tobacco Day : 31st May
Tobacco Smoking
Risk, not only for users
World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than one billion smokers of the
world have polluted our environment. Today, nearly 50% of the children in the world
breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke.
Use of tobacco has become a major public health problem, globally. The first cultivation
of the tobacco plant was carried out in America in 6000 BC. Spread of tobacco into
different regions of the world commenced in the year 1492, by Columbus during his
historical voyage. He has taken this plant to Europe as welll.
This strange plant spread rapidly throughout the world. It has invaded Europe and
Middle East in 1500, Asia in 1530 and Africa in 1560. The reintroduction to America has
been occurred in 1500. The unhealthy tobacco smoke entered the human body in the form
of cigar in 19th century followed by cigarette in the 20th century.
People in the world were ignorant on health hazards, caused by tobacco, yet the first link
between smoking and lung cancer was reported in 1939 in America. Eventually cancer
of the lips in pipe smokers has been reported in Germany in 1795.
Currently every country impose a tax on tobacco in varying amount. The first tobacco
tax was introduced by the government of United State of America with the aim of
financing civil war during president Abraham Lincoln’s time in 1862. The amount of
tobacco tax has being rapidly increasing to date. Some countries allocate a fair
percentage of this taxation for health promotion of the people but this total taxation is
used to reduce the budget deficit by other countries
Global consumption of cigarettes has being rising from the introduction of cigarettes at
the beginning of the 20th century. China, USA, Japan, Russia and Indonesia are high in
the list of countries, in which more cigarettes are burned by people.

2. As the tobacco is packed with harmful and additive substances, it leads to development of
many diseases involving all systems of the body. The tobacco contains more than 3000
chemicals and over 19 known carcinogens including polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon
and nitrosamine. Clinical manifestations of tobacco smoking , affects the head to feet
comprising of unpleasant smell,staining of hair and pain in the legs and feet due to
peripheral vascular disease.
Health hazards in tobacco smoking includes, cataract and visual impairment of the eyes,
less sensation of smell from the nose, wrinkles and premature aging of the skin,
discoloration, staining and loosening of the teeth, reduced sense of taste to the tongue,
bad smell of the mouth, cancers of the lips, mouth, throat, larynx, lungs, oesophagus,
stomach, pancreas, colon, liver, kidneys, bladder, pneumonia, asthma, and emphysema
of the lungs and leukaemia of the blood. Infertility, impotence and impairment of
immunity are other probable results of this bad habit.
The smokers harm other people by exposing them to passive smoking while destroying
themselves with this addiction. The first conclusive evidence on the danger of passive
smoking was reported from Japan in 1981. It was found in a study that the prevalence of
lung cancers were high in non smoking Japanese women married to men who smoked.
Respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma represent higher
positions in the list of diseases due to passive smoking with cardiac problems including
heart attack and angina.
It was stated that if the current trends are continuing , there will be up to one billion
deaths in the 21st century. Globally 5.4 million people have to see the end of their life
annually as a consequence of this bad habit. Out of which, 1.2 million deaths are
occurring in south east Asian region. It was estimated that one smoker is dying in every
six seconds in the world.
Majority of tobacco smokers have started this unhealthy habit at a younger age. The
younger a person begins to smoke , the greater the risk of contracting the resultant
diseases of smoking. The nicotine , a stimulant that is contained in tobacco will lead to
physical and psychological dependence. It is the main factor of addiction leading to
continue tobacco smoking . The smoker needs help and encouragement medically and
socially to quit smoking. If someone feel that it is difficult to quit smoking due to the
psychological effects of nicotine , it may be beneficial to start nicotine replacement
therapy .
Tobacco smoke contains deadly chemicals. It includes Acetone found in paint stripper,
Ammonia found in floor cleaner, Arsenic found in ant poison, Butane found in lighter
fuel, Cadmium found in car batteries, Carbon monoxide found in car exhaust fumes,
DDT found in insecticide, Hydrogen cyanide found in gas chambers, Methanol found in
rocket fuel, Napthalene found in moth balls, Toluene found in industrial solvent and
Vinyl chloride found in plastics.

3. Tobacco smoking is considered as the single most preventable cause of death in the world
today. WHO framework convention on tobacco control was introduced at world health
assembly in May 2003. It came into force in February 2005. 168 member states are
signatories to this framework convention and 154 states are party to it. Ten out of eleven
member countries of the South East Asian Region are parties to the convention with five
member countries namely, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Myanmar have
comprehensive tobacco control legislation.
The ability and courage to exit from this unhealthy habit of tobacco smoking lies with
the people who were used to that in someway in the past. It was revealed in certain
researches that three out of four smokers are willing to quit smoking. Therefore it is
necessary to help and guide these people and to build up courageous environment for the
expecting change. Law enforcement, improving awareness and developing skills are
equally important in this context.
Dr.SHANTHA HETTIARACHCHI