More than five million people worldwide die from tobacco related diseases each year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), which is more than malaria and tuberculosis deaths combined.
More than five million people worldwide die from tobacco related diseases each year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), which is more than malaria and tuberculosis deaths combined.
Eastern Cape Department of Health spokesperson, Sizwe Kupelo said the department is not sure how many smokers there are in the province. “It is difficult to come up with a figure of tobacco casualties here in the Eastern Cape, but one thing is for sure, one of the major causes of cancer is smoking,” he said.
The WHO warns that not only smokers themselves risk developing cancer and other diseases from smoking tobacco, but that they also endanger family members and other people present when they smoke. Bill Renuuick, who has throat cancer, and is now a volunteer for the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), said he smoked for more than 50 years.
“I started smoking when I was 15 and it became serious when I started varsity at the age of 18. I smoked heavily from the age of 18 to the age of 42 and then I gave up smoking for six years because I started developing chest problems,” said Renuuick. “I used to smoke about 30 to 35 cigarettes a day, and in those days smoking was fashionable. Prominent people were shown on TV smoking and we thought it was a cool thing to do,” he explained.
Renuuick said he started having a sore throat in 2003. He underwent an operation and his voice-box was removed and replaced with a plastic pipe, which he now uses to breathe. He can no longer use his mouth or nose.
Mkhululi Ndamase (24) from Ngqeleni outside Mthatha, said he also started smoking at the tender age of 15. “It was because of peer pressure. Many of my friends were smoking and I tried it too. Then I was addicted to it,” he said. He wants to quit smoking but it has become an addiction now and he can’t stop himself.
Simthembile Mgidi, from Butterworth, who is a non-smoker said, “Of late people who smoke in public trouble me, but it’s different if the person excuses himself and I willingly stay. Even the smell of cigarette smoke irritates me, it makes me nauseous!”
According to recent statistics from WHO, tobacco use is the second biggest cause of death globally (after hypertension, better known as high blood pressure) and is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults.
When a smoker inhales, the cigarette burns super hot in its centre and this heat breaks down the tobacco to produce poison. Cigarettes contain more than 400 toxic substances. The substances contained in the smoke you inhale that are most damaging to your health are tar (which causes lung cancer), carbon monoxide (causes heart disease), and nicotine (an addictive substance).
The health risks are influenced by the number of cigarettes you smoke, whether they have filters and how the tobacco has been prepared. Nomvuyo Gqibithole, a Health Programme Coordinator at CANSA said they have a programme called “kick butt” that helps people who want to quit smoking.
“Sometimes we manage to persuade them to quit smoking but others refuse to.” Research shows that smoking reduces life expectancy by seven to eight years. On average, each cigarette shortens your life anywhere from seven to eleven minutes. In other words, the time it takes you to smoke a cigarette equals the time that a cigarette takes off your life.
