KARACHI:
Cigarette smoking has become a trend as most of the youths think it makes them look cool and sharp despite knowing that it is injurious to their health. Smokers not only threaten their own lives but of all those who come within their proximity. Smoking is highly addictive, and quite hard to give up even though it decreases the lifespan of smokers as it harms the heart, blood vessels and blood cells.
According to research, more than 1,000 Pakistani youngsters aging six to 16 years engage in smoking every day. This is certainly a very distressing and alarming state. Similarly, the Pakistan Society for Cancer Prevention says 37 per cent of men and 4 per cent of women above the age of 15 are smokers.
The chemicals present in cigarettes can raise the risk of atherosclerosis, which is the accumulation of plaque in blood vessels. This collection restricts blood flow and can lead to dangerous blockages thus leading to critical conditions between death and life.
Moreover, a cigarette comprises over 7,000 different chemical compounds, containing arsenic, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, lead, nicotine, carbon monoxide, acrolein, and other lethal ingredients. More than 70 of these are oncogenic and unsafe which increase the risk of lung cancer and some other types of cancers.
I, therefore, request the government to take serious steps against smoking to save the lives of the youths.
Zarjan Jan Muhammad
Turbat
Published in The Express Tribune, April 14th, 2021.
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