Look at the key figures to understand the harm of tobacco

Tobacco harm is one of the most serious public health problems in the world. It not only endangers the health of smokers themselves, but also produces second-hand smoke and third-hand smoke, seriously polluting the environment and causing serious impacts on the health of others.

Tobacco harm should be taken seriously

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for the lungs. In fact, the harm of smoking is far more than that. Tumors, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, dementia... are all closely related to smoking. Next, we will use some key figures to reveal the true face of tobacco harm.

Code F17.2

First of all, it should be emphasized that smoking addiction (also known as tobacco dependence) is not a behavioral habit, but a chronic disease. The World Health Organization has included it in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) and coded it as F17.2. Nicotine contained in tobacco is the main addictive ingredient.

Generally, smokers do not smoke many cigarettes or smoke frequently at the beginning. However, due to the strong addictiveness of nicotine, as the smoking time increases, the morphology and function of the brain change, and the smoking habit gradually develops. The amount and frequency of smoking of smokers will gradually increase, and the addiction to smoking will become stronger. This addiction to smoking is a chronic addictive disease called tobacco dependence.

8 million people

Smoking addiction is an epidemic and a huge public health threat. Smoking harms the health of smokers themselves, and exposure to secondhand smoke affects the health of non-smokers. Data released by the World Health Organization show that 8 million people die each year from smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke, and one person dies from smoking-related diseases every 4 seconds. More than 7 million people died from direct smoking, and 1.2 million non-smokers died from exposure to secondhand smoke.

69 carcinogens

The smoke produced by tobacco combustion is a complex mixture of more than 7,000 compounds, of which gases account for 95%, such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, volatile nitrosamines, etc., and particulate matter accounts for 5%, including semi-volatile and non-volatile substances, such as tar, nicotine, etc. Most of these compounds are harmful to the human body, and at least 69 of them are known carcinogens, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrosamines, etc., and nicotine is an addictive substance.

Risk of 56 diseases and risk of death from 22 diseases

Studies have shown that smoking is associated with an increased risk of 56 diseases. Among the risks of developing diseases, the risk of malignant tumors increases by 34%, the risk of respiratory diseases increases by 18%, the risk of circulatory system diseases increases by 10%, the risk of infectious and parasitic diseases increases by 7%, the risk of skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases increases by 14%, and the risk of endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases increases by 5%.

The study also showed that smoking is associated with an increased risk of death from 22 diseases. Among the risk of death from diseases, men who had ever smoked and were regular smokers had a 33% increased risk of death from major diseases. Men who started smoking before the age of 18 and lived in cities had a 106% increased overall risk of death and a 32% increased risk of any disease.

Smoking not only affects your own health, but also seriously affects the health of your family and children. A study evaluating exposure to secondhand smoke in 192 countries around the world in 2004 and the disease burden of secondhand smoke in children and adult non-smokers found that 40% of non-smoker children, 33% of male non-smokers and 35% of female non-smokers were exposed to secondhand smoke. Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke will also increase the risk of smoking-related diseases. There is evidence that exposure to secondhand smoke can cause asthma, lung cancer, coronary heart disease, etc. in children.

There is no so-called "safe level" of exposure to secondhand smoke. Short-term exposure to secondhand smoke can also cause harm to human health. It is estimated that such exposure can cause 379,000 deaths from ischemic heart disease, 165,000 deaths from lower respiratory tract infections, 36,900 deaths from asthma, and 21,400 deaths from lung cancer.

6 hours

Thirdhand smoke is the tobacco residue left on clothes, walls, carpets, furniture, and even hair and skin after smokers "puff and puff". Its toxic components include more than 10 kinds of cyanide, butane, toluene, arsenic, lead, carbon monoxide, etc. Thirdhand smoke stays indoors for a long time. It still exists 6 hours after the cigarette is extinguished, and it will accumulate over time.

10 years

The impact of tobacco on people has a delayed effect, sometimes even 10 to 30 years. As age increases, the functions of various organs in the body gradually decline, and the harm caused by tobacco gradually becomes apparent. Quitting smoking early can make up for damaged health. For people who quit smoking before a major disease occurs, their risk of illness or death is basically close to that of people who have never smoked about 10 years after quitting smoking.

Smoking addiction needs scientific treatment

All of the above key figures are warning us about the harmfulness of tobacco and the benefits of quitting smoking. So why are there still so many smokers who know that smoking is harmful but still continue to smoke?

Relevant studies have shown that nearly half of smokers suffer from tobacco dependence. Smokers with tobacco dependence can be further divided into mild dependence, moderate dependence and severe dependence. They differ in smoking motivation, smoking amount, smoking age, smoking start age, willingness to quit smoking, and success rate of quitting smoking. Accordingly, smoking cessation diagnosis and treatment should also vary from person to person.

Many people fail to quit smoking not because of lack of willpower, but because they do not use the correct scientific methods. The smoker's own will to quit smoking is the basis for successful quitting, and they should deeply understand the harm of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke to health. Smokers who are not addicted or have a low degree of tobacco dependence can quit smoking on their own with willpower (but they often need to be given brief smoking cessation advice and stimulate their motivation to quit smoking). Those with a high degree of tobacco dependence can go to a smoking cessation clinic for smoking cessation treatment, conduct behavioral correction, use smoking cessation drugs, etc.