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One puff of hookah is equivalent to taking 30-40 cigarettes puffs in one go, experts at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) have warned.
Though serving hookah in any commercial establishments is banned in the tricity, raids have revealed easy availability of hookah and other tobacco products in the market, with many bars and clubs serving them to customers.
On the eve of 37th World No Tobacco Day, Dr Sonu Goel, director, Resource Centre for Tobacco Control (RCTC) and professor at department of community medicine and public health, PGIMER, spoke on this year’s theme: “Unmasking the appeal: Exposing industry tactics on tobacco and nicotine products”.
Goel explained that the effects of tobacco on the body can be seen within 20 minutes of its consumption, including hiked pulse rate. “Tobacco is behind 70% chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cases, a lung condition causing respiratory issues. Of all oral cancer cases, 80% are caused by tobacco consumption, and it is responsible for around 50% of pulmonary cardiac diseases.Tobacco consumers are four times more prone to getting severe tuberculosis than non-users,” he further cautioned.
He highlighted that despite these dangers, companies often did not carry hazard warnings for tobacco products other than cigarettes.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco survey, the prevalence of tobacco use in India is 28.6% and 11% in Chandigarh. Every year in India, 13 lakh preventable deaths are occurring due to tobacco, he shared.
Heated tobacco products
Goel said that as per the provisions of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), companies must carry hazard warning on the cover of tobacco products. He pointed out that companies, however, were not issuing this warning on heated tobacco products (HTP) as they claim that the COTPA covers only cigarettes not HTP. He explained that unlike cigarettes, HTPs were consumed by heating rather than burning, which also had detrimental effects on the body.
‘Slim cigarettes, vapes, just as dangerous
Dr Sonu Goel said despite the tobacco content in a slim cigarette being equivalent to any other cigarette, they were packaged and marketed in a more appealing way. He highlighted that with a slim look, choice of colours and flavours, these cigarettes were given the impression of being less harmful than regular cigarettes, which is not the case. Goel added that filtered cigarettes did not filter harmful substances, but only the amount of tar to some extent, and a user consumed equal content of harmful chemicals from filtered and non-filtered cigarettes.
Similarly, e-cigarettes, commonly known as vapes, which also contain tobacco and nicotine, were marketed and sold by companies as a way to combat tobacco addiction. However, given the presence of high levels of nicotine in them, use of vapes can also lead to serious health issues, including cardiac and lung problems.
“E-cigarettes are also banned under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019. However, due to poor enforcement, vapes are easily available in the market,” pointed out Dr Goel.
