Smoking Habit

Smoking has been described as the single greatest preventable cause of death in the world, and up to half of all cigarette smokers may be killed by their addiction. Smoking-related diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease are the main cause of premature death globally. It is estimated that almost 1.3 billion people are currently smokers, tobacco use is expected to be the cause of death of about 10 million people per year by 2030 (up from 4.8 million in 2006). Each day, nearly 4800 adolescents smoke their first cigarette, of them nearly 2000 will become regular smokers. Nowadays, smoking is a key issue in occupational medicine. Smoking habit is recognized as an additional important risk factor for health among industrial workers. In some instances, it has been demonstrated that tobacco smoke can interact with other occupational or non-occupational carcinogens, and can increase the risk of developing lung cancer in a multiplicative manner. This is the case for occupational exposure to asbestos, radon, cadmium and arsenic: the risk of lung cancer is amplified if such an exposure is combined with tobacco smoke. Environmental tobacco smoke at work is also a key issue in contemporary occupational health. There is evidence that passive smoke in workplace is a significant risk factor for lung cancer

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Last date updated on April, 2024