BANGKOK, May 27 (TNA) – Tobacco and lung health are the theme of campaigns for the World No Tobacco Day on May 31.
Announcing this year’s campaign against smoking, Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said communities were encouraged to create smoke-free environments to protect residents from second-hand smoke and his ministry already declared more than 100 places smoke-free places.
They included schools, hospitals, public parks, temples and bus stops.
According to the minister, more than 100,000 people fell sick and died of cigarette-related causes in 2017.
This year’s event to mark the World No Tobacco Day will be organized at Central Festival EastVille shopping center. Individuals and organizations contributing to tobacco control will receive awards there. The event will also include free chest X-rays.
Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoen, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said one breath of passive smoking meant the inhalation of hundreds of toxic substances which would right away start to damage lungs. Inhalers could suffer irritation, breathing difficulties, infection or complications. That could lead to lung cancer, emphysema, tuberculosis and allergies, he said.
Prof Dr Prakit Vathesatogkit, executive secretary of Action on Smoking and Health Foundation, Thailand, said that more than 40,000 people died of smoking-related lung diseases yearly and of them about 8,000 died of passive smoking. (TNA)
