Health
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Onyebuchi Chukwu, minister of health, says the proposed Tobacco Control Bill 2014 reflects the determination of the federal government to make the environment hundred percent free of tobacco
| By Chinwe Okafor | Jun. 16, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT
HARD times loom ahead of tobacco industry and its users in Nigeria if the Tobacco Control Bill 2014 sails through the National Assembly. The Bill is coming on the heels of the celebration of the “World No Tobacco Day” on May 31. According to Onyebuchi Chukwu, minister of health, the Bill is part of the federal government’s determination make the environment hundred percent tobacco free for people who do not want anything to do with tobacco.
He said that such places would be clearly designated as non-smoking areas adding that if a smoker breaks the law, he would be liable for prosecution. According to him, the Bill would also propose to ban advertisement and corporate sponsorship by tobacco companies at any public event such as sports, seminar and so on. “We will not accept gifts from any tobacco company. Gifts such as school building, will not be accepted. Some states like Lagos and Cross River have passed their own tobacco Bills into law but now we want to make it national,” Chukwu said.
Medical experts and researchers have increasingly advised and warned tobacco smokers to desist from such act. Oluwaseun Jegede, a medical consultant at Deseret Hospital, Lagos State, said tobacco smoke can trigger asthmatic attacks and other respiratory conditions. He warned that prolonged exposure could lead to chronic lung diseases. According to him, there are also risks associated with second-hand tobacco inhalation because they are predisposed to breast cancer than direct smokers.
Medical practitioners under the aegis of Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, APHPN and the Nigerian Tobacco Control Research Group have called on the federal government to increase taxes on tobacco products as a way of reducing health challenges associated with cigarette smoking in the country.
Oluwafemi Popoola, secretary of APHPN, Oyo State, has stressed the need to call the attention of the government to the effect of tobacco in view of the danger it posses to the safety and health of the people. “Up to 4.5 million adults currently use tobacco products in Nigeria out of which 3.1 million people smoke the product. Smoking is estimated to cause nearly 10 percent of cardiovascular diseases and is the second leading cause of CVD, after high blood pressure.
“Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals and compounds, more than 1000 of which are really toxic and comprehensive tobacco control laws will protect the health of non-smokers, save billions of naira in health care costs and encourage smokers to quit,” Popoola said. The group also called for sustained pressure from members of the public on the government to ensure that needed legislative backing is given for a tobacco free society.
According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, the global tobacco epidemic kills nearly six million people each year, of which more than 600, 000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. Realnews investigations have revealed that most people are aware of some of the risks involved in tobacco smoking because over the years, medical experts have pointed out how its intake, either directly or through second hand smoke, affects one’s health.
However, several studies have shown that these negative effects are not restricted to only smoked tobaccos which are in the form of cigarettes rather smokeless tobacco products such as snuff, spitting tobacco and the likes, are equally as damaging to one’s health as the smoked tobacco.
Among the five greatest risk factors for mortality, tobacco consumption has been fingered as the single most preventable cause of death. Experts say 11 percent of deaths from ischemic heart disease, the world’s leading killer, are attributable to tobacco use and also, more than 70 percent of deaths from lung, trachea and bronchus cancers are attributable to tobacco use.
Some health researchers, said that tobacco smoking is estimated to increase the risk of coronary heart disease by two to four times; stroke by two to four times; men developing lung cancer by 23 times; women developing lung cancer by 13 times and the risk of dying from chronic obstructive lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema by 12 to 13 times. They have estimated that smokers die 13 to 14 years earlier than non-smokers.
For those who consume smokeless tobacco, the risks are no less. Experts say there is an increased risk of mouth or nasal cancer, gum problems, tooth wear and cavities, worsening high blood pressure and angina. Besides, an increased risk of various forms of cancers, tobacco smoking causes problems with erections because of decreased blood flow into the penis.
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