In Türkiye, 15 people die every hour due to smoking.

While cigarettes are the most widely used tobacco product in the world, hookah tobacco, cigars, rolling tobacco, pipes and heated tobacco products are also among the products used.

Tobacco products, which cause serious damage to health in all their forms, negatively affect not only those who use them but also those who are exposed to smoke.

According to data updated by the World Health Organization (WHO) on June 26, tobacco can damage almost every organ in the body and cause cancer, heart diseases, stroke and lung diseases, as well as decreased fertility, weakening of the immune system and premature death.

More than 7 million people die every year worldwide due to these health problems caused by tobacco use. More than 1.6 million of these deaths were caused by people who were exposed to second-hand smoke even though they were not smokers.

According to information obtained from the Ministry of Health, approximately 125 thousand people die annually due to tobacco in Türkiye. This figure means that an average of one person dies from smoking every 4 minutes. 25 thousand of the deaths are caused by people who are exposed to second-hand smoke even though they are not smokers.

Türkiye ranks first in the world in terms of lung cancer incidence and related deaths in men.

Tobacco use is among the important risk factors for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and more than 20 types or subtypes of cancer.

While the particles in cigarette smoke initiate their harmful effects when they reach the lungs, the carbon monoxide in the smoke reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.

Source: TRT Haber Sağlık RSS (Open Press / Translated Full Text)