All tobacco products are harmful to health.

Dr. Le Van Chuc (pictured), Deputy Director of the Provincial Center for Disease Control, affirmed: "All tobacco products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and shisha, are harmful to health," during an interview with a reporter from Hau Giang Newspaper about the harmful effects of tobacco.

Doctor, could you please tell me what substances are in cigarette smoke?

- Cigarette smoke contains 7,000 toxic chemicals and 69 carcinogens. Some of the toxic chemicals include carbon monoxide (CO). CO in cigarette smoke reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells, lowers blood oxygen levels, thickens the blood, and makes the heart work harder to pump blood throughout the body. It contributes to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, which are linked to heart disease and stroke.

Benzene, an active ingredient in cigarette smoke, is an industrial solvent refined from crude oil. It is a carcinogen found in petroleum fumes and pesticides. Ammonia is found in growth stimulants and cleaning products. It is used to enhance the addictive effects of nicotine. Formaldehyde is a solution used in embalming. This substance irritates the nose, throat, and eyes of smokers. Additionally, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are carcinogens found in diesel fuel and other combustion products;…

Specifically, nicotine is an addictive substance found in cigarettes. Nicotine increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels in the heart, and raises pulse and blood pressure. When nicotine in cigarette smoke reaches the brain (binding to nicotine in nerve cells), it causes effects such as feelings of euphoria, happiness, and increased cognitive activity in smokers. However, these feelings quickly fade after a few minutes. When nicotine levels in the body decrease, smokers feel restless, stressed, unable to concentrate, sad, anxious, and experience sleep disturbances. Therefore, to feel comfortable, smokers must continue smoking.

So, doctor, are e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and shisha harmful?

- First and foremost, it can be stated that all e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and shisha are harmful to health. E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that operate by heating a dissolved liquid solution, producing vapor for the user to inhale. The components in e-cigarettes affect health. Nicotine is an addictive substance that affects the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, and brain. Propylene glycol can form propylene oxide, a carcinogen, when heated. Glycerin/glycerol, when heated and vaporized, forms acrolein, which is harmful to the respiratory tract. Metals such as lead, silver, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and nickel are carcinogenic.

Heated tobacco products are products that use electronic devices to heat tobacco to a temperature sufficient to create an inhalable aerosol containing nicotine, a highly addictive substance, and other chemicals, non-tobacco additives, and often come in various flavors.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that heated tobacco products produce toxic gases containing many of the same harmful substances found in regular cigarette smoke. Even though heated at lower temperatures, they still produce similar chemicals to those in cigarette smoke, such as strong respiratory irritants, carcinogens, and metals.

Doctor, could you give us some general information about the concerning situation regarding smoking in our country?

- Vietnam is among the top 15 countries with the highest number of smokers in the world . The smoking rate is 47.4% for men and 1.4% for women, equivalent to 15.3 million adults in Vietnam who smoke (on average, one in two men smokes). According to WHO statistics, approximately 40,000 people die each year in Vietnam from diseases related to tobacco use.

If everyone does not take action to prevent and control the harmful effects of tobacco now, it is estimated that by 2030, the number of deaths due to tobacco-related diseases could increase to 70,000 people per year.

Thank you, doctor!

Performed by HONG DIEM

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