May 31: World No Tobacco Day
Status: 29.05.2020
World No Tobacco Day was introduced by the World Health Organization (WHO) to draw attention to global tobacco consumption and the deaths and illnesses it causes.
In Germany, the motto issued this year by German Cancer Aid and the Non-Smoking Action Alliance (Aktionsbündnis Nichtrauchen e. V.) is: "KILL YOURSELF STARTER KIT. DON'T LET YOURSELF BE MANIPULATED." This slogan is intended to draw attention to the tobacco industry's manipulative marketing strategies to prevent young people in particular from consuming tobacco and nicotine.
Among other things, Aktionsbündnis Nichtrauchen e.V. criticizes the indirect application of tobacco products in films or music videos, the easy accessibility of tobacco products or e-cigarettes, which are advertised as a "better" alternative to ordinary cigarettes. The danger: Tobacco advertising conveys the assumption that smoking and vaping is "cool and harmless". The risks of shisha and cigarette tobacco are skillfully glossed over. However, it is widely known that tobacco consumption is the main risk factor for lung cancer and a risk factor for other types of cancer¹ and diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
We are taking this year's World No Tobacco Day as an opportunity to take a closer look at and describe the consequences of smoking and vaping.
We asked Dr. med. Bodmann from the Clinical Department of Pneumology at MHH:
What actually happens to our lungs when we smoke?
"When we inhale cigarette smoke, more than 70 different carcinogenic substances enter the lungs. These substances accumulate there. The toxins in the smoke destroy the alveoli and damage the immune system. Gene mutations also occur in the lungs, which promote the development of cancer cells. Regular smoking irritates the bronchial system and increases the production of bronchial mucus. At the same time, the self-cleaning mechanism of the lungs is severely impaired: Cilia of the bronchial mucosa are destroyed. Their actual task, the removal of harmful substances, is made considerably more difficult as a result. The composition of the mucus also changes. These processes lead to a build-up of mucus in the lungs. This often makes it difficult for those affected to cough up," explains Dr. med. Bodmann .
The e-cigarette - a "healthier" alternative to conventional cigarettes?
Bodmann: "So far, there have only been a few studies on vaping and hardly any long-term observations. It can be said that although e-cigarettes contain fewer harmful substances than conventional cigarettes, vaping can also trigger lung diseases such as inflammatory reactions or contact allergies. We therefore strongly advise against switching from a normal cigarette to an e-cigarette."
What is harmful about vaping an e-cigarette?
Bodmann: "Flavored liquids are vaporized in an e-cigarette. The devices consist of a power source (battery), an electric heating element (nebulizer) and a cartridge for the liquid to be vaporized (liquid). The result is not smoke, but aerosol, which is inhaled and can irreversibly damage the lungs. When the liquids are heated, substances such as acetaldehyde and formaldehyde are produced. As certain e-cigarette models allow the voltage and therefore the temperature to be individually adjusted, 5 to 14 times the amount of formaldehyde is released into the lungs when vaping 3 ml of e-liquid, for example. This corresponds to an amount that would be ingested when smoking 20 tobacco cigarettes - i.e. an entire pack."
"Party smokers" - "occasional smoking doesn't matter"?
Bodmann: "According to major epidemiological studies, there is no lower limit at which smoking is safe. In addition, occasional smokers run a high risk of becoming addicted and not just smoking occasionally. Therefore, party smoking is also not recommended!"
Further information:
Aktionsbündnis Nichtrauchen e.V. (ABNR) - World No Tobacco Day
¹ Cancer in Germany for 2015/2016. 12th edition. Robert Koch Institute (ed.) and the Society of Epidemiological Cancer Registries in Germany (ed.). Berlin, 2019.