No form of tobacco is safe: GMC Sgr experts

Srinagar Jun 29: Health experts have said there is no safe form of tobacco, warning that cigarettes, hukkah (hookah), bidis, cigars and smokeless tobacco all pose serious and potentially life-threatening health risks. They have urged people to stay away from tobacco in every form, stressing that quitting today is the best decision for a healthier future.
According to a public health awareness campaign issued by Dr S. Muhammad Salim Khan, Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, tobacco remains one of the leading preventable causes of disease and death worldwide. More than eight million people die every year due to tobacco use, making it a major public health challenge.
The advisory states that cigarette smoking significantly increases the risk of lung cancer, cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, oesophagus, pancreas, bladder, kidney, stomach, cervix and colon. It is also a major contributor to heart attacks, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, emphysema, worsening asthma, infertility, erectile dysfunction, pregnancy complications, weakened immunity and delayed wound healing.
The campaign dispels the common misconception that hukkah is a safer alternative to cigarettes. Experts emphasise that this belief is completely false, as the water used in hukkah cools the smoke but does not remove most of the harmful chemicals present in tobacco smoke.
The advisory notes that a single one-hour hukkah session may expose a person to far more smoke than smoking one cigarette. It can lead to lung cancer, oral and throat cancers, heart disease, stroke, COPD, carbon monoxide poisoning, nicotine addiction and reduced lung function. Sharing hukkah mouthpieces further increases the risk of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, influenza, COVID-19, herpes and other respiratory infections, it warned.
Health experts further caution that even herbal or tobacco-free hukkah products are not harmless. When heated with charcoal, they continue to produce toxic chemicals and dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. Occasional use also exposes individuals to harmful toxins, while most hukkah tobacco contains nicotine that can cause addiction.
The advisory highlights that second-hand smoke from both cigarettes and hukkah also places family members at risk. Children and non-smokers exposed to tobacco smoke are more likely to suffer from asthma, lung infections, heart disease, lung cancer and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Quitting tobacco, however, offers immediate and long-term health benefits. “Within 20 minutes, heart rate and blood pressure begin to decline. Carbon monoxide levels in the blood return to normal within 12 hours, while circulation and lung function improve within two to twelve weeks. After one year, the risk of heart disease is reduced by nearly half compared to those who continue smoking, and after ten years, the risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a continuing smoker,” the advisory explains.
The campaign also draws attention to tobacco use in India and Jammu & Kashmir. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS-2, 2016-17), 28.6 per cent of Indian adults—around 267 million people—use tobacco, while 1.3 million deaths occur annually due to tobacco-related diseases. In Jammu & Kashmir, 23.7 per cent of adults use tobacco, with 10.4 per cent smoking cigarettes and 6.3 per cent smoking hukkah.
The advisory further links tobacco use with the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. Data from NFHS-6 (2023-24) indicates that obesity, hypertension and diabetes are increasing across India, while Jammu & Kashmir ranks among the states with some of the highest rates of hypertension and raised blood glucose. Experts warn that tobacco significantly increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes-related complications, chronic lung diseases and several cancers.
Calling for greater public awareness, the advisory urges people to reject the myths surrounding tobacco and recognise that there is no safe form of tobacco consumption. It appeals to citizens to protect their families from second-hand smoke, encourage tobacco users to quit and work together to build tobacco-free communities. (KNO)