Our commitment to build a Tobacco free Cox’s Bazar

Blogger Sumi Akhter

Sumi Akhter: We all know that tobacco is the single largest preventable cause of death and it is the only legally available consumer product, that kills people. Tobacco causes cancers of the lung, larynx, kidney, bladder, stomach, colon, oral cavity and esophagus as well as leukemia, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischemic heart disease, stroke, miscarriage and premature birth, birth defects and infertility, since tobacco contains 7000 chemicals, which are very harmful for health. Bangladesh is one of the countries, where both production and consumption of tobacco use is high. A study of WHO shows that 100,000 people die yearly and 382,000 people become disabled due to illness caused by tobacco related diseases in Bangladesh. Tobacco is not only harmful to health, but also to the economy, the environment, nutrition, poverty, women, children, adolescents and overall human rights.