World No Tobacco Day on May 31

The WHO estimates that each year more than 8 million people die prematurely due to tobacco use. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use. About 1.2 million die prematurely because they are exposed to second-hand smoke.

 Smoking is a risk factor for several of the world’s leading causes of death, including lung cancer and other forms of cancer, heart disease, and respiratory diseases.

Tobacco use also seriously affects the environment. Every year about 5% of our forests are cleared to grow tobacco or to get firewood to dry tobacco. Tobacco use releases about 3,000 to 6,000 tons of formaldehyde, 12,000 to 47,000 tons of nicotine, and 300 to 600 million kilograms of toxic waste from cigarette butts.

The environmental effects of tobacco use put unnecessary pressure on already scarce resources. Cigarette butts and packages add up to a massive amount of waste. It is estimated that every year up to 4.5 trillion cigarette filters are discharged into the environment. They are not only dirty waste but are harmful to aquatic life if they find their way to beaches, rivers, lakes, or sewers. It takes 5 to 7 years for a cigarette filter to decompose completely.

Tobacco cultivation is a major contributor to deforestation, especially in developing countries. About 3.5 million hectares of land are cleared each year for tobacco cultivation and approximately 600 million trees are chopped down every year by the tobacco industry. Deforestation leads to soil degradation and reduces the ability of the land to support other crops.

Tobacco causes great harm to human health and destroys the environment. World No Tobacco Day is an occasion to spread this message and call on everyone to think of their responsibility to their family and community.