World No Tobacco Day: Pulmonologists warn about diseases caused by smoking
In the context of World No Tobacco Day, Dominican specialists warned about the effects of nicotine on adolescents and the risk of respiratory, cardiovascular diseases, and various types of cancer associated with smoking.
The president of the Dominican Society of Pulmonology and Chest Surgery, Maribel Jorge, warned through a press release that nicotine affects the brain development of adolescents, increases the risk of dependency, and favors the appearance of respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and various types of cancer.
The specialist recalled that, according to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco causes more than seven million deaths per year in the world, including around 1.6 million non-smoking people exposed to secondhand smoke.
Jorge explained that smoke continues to be one of the main causes of lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Likewise, I have pointed out that tobacco consumption aggravates diseases such as asthma, reduces respiratory capacity, increases the risk of infections, and significantly deteriorates the quality of life of those who consume it.
«The Pulmonology Society joins the WHO campaign to unmask its appeal and combat addiction to tobacco and nicotine, to make visible how the tobacco industry and nicotine continue to reinvent, repackage and promote its products to attract new generations, especially girls, boys and adolescents,» he said.
Jorge indicated that approximately one in five people continue to use tobacco and stated that the problem is not limited to visible smoke, but also to the dependence generated by nicotine.
Given this situation, I have urged the national authorities and municipalities to strengthen prevention measures, regulation, and education to reduce consumption of these products and protect the population’s respiratory health.
They inaugurate Blue Bench inHigüeyy
As part of the commemorative activities, the Dominican Society of Pulmonology inaugurated the so-called Blue Bench in the Health Park of the municipality ofHigüeyy, La Altagracia province.
The initiative seeks to promote smoke-free public spaces in the country’s parks and was developed jointly with the mayor ofHigüeyy, Karina Aristy.
During the event, Dr. Jorge explained that the Blue Bench symbolizes the commitment to smoke-free spaces and the defense of citizens’ right to breathe clean air. She also highlighted that a City Council resolution supported the initiative.
