ISLAMABAD, Jun 2 (APP): President Cancer Society Dr Ahmed Ijaz Masood on Sunday issued a stark warning about the escalating popularity of tobacco products like e-cigarettes and hookah among youth.
Speaking to Pakistan Television News (PTV), he said that these products were more dangerous than traditional cigarettes due to the harmful substances they contain.
Dr Masood explained that the tobacco industry uses various tactics to hook young people into lifelong addiction by giving these products different names and promoting them through branded materials. He highlighted that e-cigarettes, which contain nicotine and potentially harmful toxins like heavy metals, can damage the lungs and respiratory system.
“Unfortunately, popular shows, movies and dramas portray smoking in a glamorous fashion,” Dr Masood said, urging a discouragement of such scenes. He noted a 110 per cent increase in tobacco-related scenes in popular shows among youth aged 15 to 24, which often depict smoking glamorously.
Dr Masood cited global statistics, stating that an estimated 38 million boys and girls aged 13 to 15 use tobacco products. “Nicotine is especially harmful to developing brains,” he added, stressing the urgent need to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking.
He described smoking as a major curse in society, encompassing products like cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookahs, beedis, betel leaves, areca nuts, gutka, and snuff. “Smoking damages almost every organ in the human body and has negative impacts on overall health,” the Cancer Society President said.
He highlighted that tobacco smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, most of which are carcinogenic and is the leading cause of lung, mouth, and throat cancers.
He detailed that the use of tobacco in any form can lead to lethal cancers, including lung, oral, esophageal, stomach, colon, liver, pancreatic, breast, kidney, prostate, and bladder cancers. Smoking also causes heart attacks, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, and psychological disorders, he added.
Dr Masood emphasised the need for a concerted effort to educate people about the harmful effects of tobacco and to take a stand for a healthier future.
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