November 17th marks National No Smoking Day, with this date's main objective being to increase the population's awareness of the risk factors associated with tobacco consumption.
Smoking causes enormous harm to public health, as it is responsible for reducing the quality and length of life. It also has the aggravating factor of being a risk factor, not just for the smoker, but for all those around them, being exposed to secondhand smoke.
Currently, tobacco kills more than 8 million people around the world, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco consumption in Europe is responsible for more than 1 million and 200 thousand deaths, a number that tends to rise to to two million deaths. In Portugal, tobacco consumption affects around 20 to 26% of the population.
Smokers have, on average, ten years less to live than non-smokers, as the substances in tobacco smoke affect certain important organs, making the body more fragile, and tobacco is responsible for:
- 90% of lung cancer cases;
- 80% of cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
- 75 to 80% of cases of chronic bronchitis;
- 25 to 30% of all cancers - including cancer of the upper respiratory system (lip, tongue, mouth, pharynx and larynx);
- 20% of mortality due to coronary disease.