The message for World No Tobacco Day and this year’s National No Tobacco Week is “Tobacco – Deadly in every form and disguise.” This year’s message not only highlights the financial costs and health losses associated with tobacco use but also warns smokers about the illusion created by manufacturers that smoking can be safe for health.
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Smoking is harmful in every form |
Cigarette packs are designed to be attractive and eye-catching. Each pack features small print indicating low nicotine content – only 0.5mg – or labels such as “light,” “smooth,” etc. The filters are specifically designed for regular smokers, all aimed at giving users the illusion that they can smoke while still keeping their health safe.
At the Central Lung and Respiratory Hospital – where the rate of patients suffering from tobacco-related diseases is highest – X-ray images reveal lungs mottled with white and black spots. The white areas indicate that the patients’ lungs have been damaged.
According to Dr. Nguyen Xuan Nghiem, Head of the Emergency Department at the Central Lung and Respiratory Hospital: “Besides chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, smoking also affects many other parts of the body. Most dangerously, tobacco smoke is the leading cause of lung cancer, which remains very difficult to treat.”
Dr. Nghiem also stated that the emergency department admits more than 10 patients daily with tuberculosis or respiratory-related diseases. Upon admission, most patients are in a state of breathlessness. One-third of these patients admit to having smoked cigarettes or other forms of tobacco, often for many years.
Dr. Phan Thi Hai, Secretary of the Tobacco Harm Prevention Project at the Ministry of Health, further adds: “Tobacco products labeled as light, smooth, low tar, menthol cigarettes, clove cigarettes, and those with fruit or chocolate flavors represent the marketing strategies of tobacco companies.”
However, the nature of all these tobacco products is the same; they are made from tobacco plants containing two main substances: nicotine, and tar, which is rich in many harmful toxins. These substances can be carcinogenic and lead to chronic diseases for smokers, such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.”
This is the main raw material for the tobacco manufacturing industry. It contains many toxins. Regardless of how finished tobacco products are disguised or named, and even with the addition of appealing flavors, they remain toxic and harmful to human health because they are all derived from tobacco plants.
