Üsküdar Üniversitesi, which took its first step towards becoming a 'Smoke-Free Campus' last January, continues its educational activities uninterruptedly within this scope. Within the scope of the project carried out with the aim of a Smoke-Free University, World Health Organization Executive, Yeşilay Scientific Board member Prof. Dr. Toker Ergüder, delivered his presentation titled 'Tobacco Addiction and the Prevention, Control of Tobacco Product Use, and the Tobacco Industry' to students of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences. Ergüder stated that they are looking for young healthcare professionals to help them in this fight.
“More than 20 million people use tobacco in Turkey”
World Health Organization Executive, Yeşilay Scientific Board member Prof. Dr. Toker Ergüder made striking statements regarding the importance of preventing an increase in smokers and reducing their numbers; “Firstly, we must start reducing smoking among our loved ones. We must warn everyone around us. As future doctors, support us in combating tobacco addiction. As doctors, you must live in a smoke-free environment. The increase in tobacco addiction, especially among those aged 18-25, is very significant. In Turkey, 125,000 people die each year due to smoking. 25% of all deaths in our country are smoking-related. In fact, smoking rates are decreasing worldwide, but these rates are on the rise in our country. Another problem in Turkey is the significant increase in smoking rates among women. Especially among female doctors, nurses, and teachers, smoking rates are well above the societal average. Among men, smoking rates decrease as education and status rise, while among women, smoking rates increase with higher education and status. Because tobacco companies know all of this very well, perhaps right outside this university, maybe in a cafeteria, a tobacco company will offer you your first cigarette, and if you can say no to them, you will be free from addiction for the rest of your life.”
“The main reason for the spread of tobacco is the tobacco industry”
Ergüder, speaking about the concept of tobacco control, underlined that smoking-related deaths would decrease thanks to this control. Ergüder said; “Tobacco use is the most important preventable cause of death in the world and in our country. We can express this situation as tobacco control. Because tobacco use is Turkey's most important and preventable public health problem. The main cause of the tobacco epidemic and its spread is the tobacco industry. Our fight is not against smokers; everyone who smokes has been made addicted at a young age and trapped by the tobacco industry. Our biggest fight is against the tobacco industry. For example, there is no industry behind the spread of malaria, but there is an industry behind the spread of this tobacco 'germ'. Unfortunately, this industry tries to make everyone addicted and profit. There are very effective methods to prevent the epidemic. We must implement these methods.”
“Exposure to cigarette smoke causes serious diseases”
Ergüder, speaking about the composition and harms of cigarettes, said; “It is tobacco, a poisonous plant, rolled and compressed into a thin paper. It contains 3 substances: carbon monoxide, nicotine, and tar. Among these, there are at least 70 carcinogens and nearly 7,000 chemical substances. 99% of lung cancers are caused by smoking. The main addictive substance is nicotine. The others are also cancer-causing substances. Cigarette smoke contains more than 6,000 harmful chemical substances, 50 of which are known to be carcinogenic. Both active smoking and passive exposure to smoke cause diseases in people's bodies. When you inhale cigarette smoke, it goes to the lungs, mixes with the blood, and is then excreted as nicotine in urine. It causes cancer and various diseases in all organs it reaches.”