Focus on child lung health for World No Tobacco Day
29 May 2019
The theme for World No Tobacco Day which is observed annually on 31 May is ‘Tobacco and Lung Health’.
It highlights the link between the use of tobacco products and lung diseases.
The Western Cape No Tobacco Task Team has adapted the theme to: ‘Protecting your lungs from Tobacco’ and with a special emphasis on child health, in other words, looking after little lungs.
An interactive workshop which was hosted by the task team in Brackenfell today, 29 May 2019, was directed at principals of ECDs. The programme included inputs on air pollution, tips to quit smoking, tuberculosis, the results of a survey of tobacco usage in the workplace and also the impact of early-life exposure of environmental tobacco smoke on child health.
The focus this year is on the harmful effects that all tobacco products have on the health of lungs and even more so, the undeveloped lungs of babies and children.
Globally, tobacco-related deaths kill one in eight people.
The No Tobacco Task Team is a partnership consisting of the University of Cape Town’s Lung Institute, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, CANSA, TB HIV Care, the City and the Western Cape Health Department.
‘Smoking can damage every part of the body and lead to the development of cancers, especially lung cancer. Non-smokers who are exposed to tobacco smoke are also at risk. The poisons in tobacco smoke inhaled by a pregnant woman directly or through second hand smoke exposure will affect the unborn baby, which may result in low birth weight, a cleft lip or palate and the baby being born before its due date.
‘The emphasis on asking people to look after little lungs is a call to action to raise awareness that active and passive smoking around children can affect their underdeveloped lungs. This increases their chances of getting pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma and continuous ear infections. The legislation to protect children is in place, but ultimately we shouldn’t have to rely on the law as the wellbeing of children should be reason enough to do the right thing and to protect them from tobacco exposure,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
Some facts about smoking:
- Smoking a hookah pipe equates to inhaling 100 cigarettes in one session
- Smoke particles can also stick to clothing which a child can inhale, causing lung damage
- Smoke stays on the breath of a smoker so parents should take a few deep breaths before going into the house
- Tobacco smoke can hang in the air for up to five hours so exposing those passing through to an increase in respiratory diseases, cancers and reduced lung function
- According to the South Africa Demographic and Health Survey, 25% of women and 42,9% of men in the Western Cape smoke daily, making the risk of a child inhaling smoke in the home and in the community highly probable
- People with tuberculosis should not smoke at all because of the double burden placed on the lungs which will increase the risk of disability and death from respiratory failure
- Those who have diabetes should not smoke either as diabetes and smoking can both restrict blood flow to the legs, which increases the risk of gangrene and amputations
‘We have managed to curb smoking through legislation and ongoing education and awareness, but the fact is that far too many people still light up; often without due regard for their own health or the health of those around them. Children are most vulnerable, because they do not have a say in, or an understanding of the impact on their health and wellbeing. So, if smokers are unable to kick the habit, my appeal is that they do it far away from non-smokers and children in particular,’ said Councillor Badroodien.
A summary of the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act, as relates to children, is available here: https://bit.do/TobaccoControlChildren
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