The World No Tobacco Day is being observed in Bangladesh as elsewhere across the globe Friday.
The day's theme “Tobacco and Lung Health” will highlight health risks of tobacco use and advocate effective policies to reduce its consumption, reports UNB.
The day aims to raise awareness about the impact of tobacco on lung health — from cancer to chronic respiratory disease.
Lung and respiratory complicacies are among the top five reasons of death, according to World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO says that tobacco use and second-hand smoke cause lung cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Tuberculosis and Asthma.
According to WHO, tobacco kills more than eight million people a year and second-hand smoke kills another one million, a considerable part of which is children.
It says tobacco is the fifth major reason behind premature deaths in Bangladesh, contributing to more than 126,000 deaths a year.
WHO and its partners have been observing the World No Tobacco Day since May 31, 1987.
