World No Tobacco Day is tomorrow, May 31st.
The day was created by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1988, and focuses on the health risks associated with tobacco use. The day is also used to advocate for the reduction of tobacco use.
Carmen Ho, from the Northern Regional Health Authority, spoke to Arctic Radio News and said that the focus for World No Tobacco Day 2018 is the impact that tobacco has on the cardiovascular health of people worldwide.
According to statistics from the WHO, tobacco kills up to half of those who use it. Over 7,000,000 (over 6,000,000 through direct use, just under 900,000 through second hand smoke) people die annually around the world due to tobacco, while over 2,000,000 lose their lives due to tobacco-caused cardiovascular diseases.
Around 80% of the world’s 1.1B smokers live in low and middle income countries.
More information on World No Tobacco Day can be found by clicking here, while a fact sheet from the WHO on tobacco can be found by clicking here.
The WHO was established in 1948, and serves as the United Nations' health agency.
