One Of Two People Die From Cigarettes-borne Diseases

A report by public health specialists, presented at an international research seminar in Stockholm, points out that Sweden is close to becoming the first country in Europe to become smoke-free. The authors of the report explain that the strategy is to reduce the supply of tobacco combined with the prohibition of smoking in certain spaces, however indicating that it is possible to accept smokeless products – such as electronic cigarettes – as a less harmful alternative to health.

However, pulmonologist Ubiratan de Paula Santos, responsible for the Smoking Cessation Outpatient Clinic of the Pulmonology Division of the Instituto do Coração of the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculty of Medicine of USP, warns that this information is far from being real. For the doctor, the news has several points that need to be clarified, such as the presence of a researcher who is a consultant for the tobacco industry.

Santos points out that the tobacco industry is responsible for the manufacture of electronic and heated cigarettes, the so-called smokeless cigarettes, which cause various damages in the short term and are not allowed in Brazil. The doctor evaluates this fact as positive and remembers that 30% of the population of countries like the United States, Canada and England are fans of this type of smoke.

Smokefree policy in Brazil
The pulmonologist explains that Brazil has had a successful anti-smoking policy since the 1990s, with a continued reduction of over 70% in both sexes. Data published in an article in the Lancet magazine, in 2021, which evaluated information from 204 countries with global studies of various diseases, including smoking, points out that Brazil has a smoking rate of 6.8 for women and 10.9 for men, result much more expressive than Sweden, which had a reduction of 14% for women and 12.4% for men.

However, Santos warns that, despite the good numbers, Brazil still has many smokers. For the pulmonologist, the campaigns are of paramount importance, raising awareness about the risks that smoking poses to health and informing how to seek help. It also reinforces the need for adequate inspection of the sale of single cigarettes sold in newsstands. In addition to the sale of packs containing less than 20 cigarettes being prohibited by law, it is essential that the State has control over inspection.

Of every two people who have smoked for more than 20 years, over their lifetime, one dies from diseases caused by cigarettes. Cigarettes contain 73 human carcinogens. A smoker lives ten years less than a person who has never smoked. Cardiovascular and chronic diseases are among the main causes.