October - 2017

Hookahs (Hubbly Bubblies) are deadly

Hookahs (Hubbly Bubblies) are deadly

We received a call at the National Council Against Smoking earlier this week from a very distressed father whose 3 year old daughter had tried a hookah at a relative's house. This is problematic on a number of levels - it is illegal for any adult to supply tobacco to a child under 18 and hookahs contain tobacco -it is especially bad for children to try hookahs as their lungs are still developing - tobacco in hookahs is the same as tobacco in cigarettes and can result in cance

Another reason why we should be very concerned about e-cigarettes

Another reason why we should be very concerned about e-cigarettes

39% of e-cigarette users are using them to take illegal drugs according to research by a group of public health experts based at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London.They warned that too little is known about the risks of taking drugs in this way and could result in overdoses. Electronic cigarettes are being modified and used to vape illegal substances like cannabis, crack cocaine, ecstasy and heroin as part of a disturbing new drugs culture. "This novel cultur

What is third-hand smoke and does it affect us?

We all know that first-hand smoke is smoke inhaled by a smoker and that second-hand smoke is the exhaled smoke of the smoker which affects people around the the smoker, but what is third-hand smoke? Third-hand smoke is the second-hand smoke that gets left on the surfaces of objects which ages over time and becomes more and more toxic. "Third-hand smoke is a potential health threat to children, spouses of smokers and workers in environments where smoking is, or has been, all

Look after Little Lungs video

Look after little lungs

Look after little lungs

Earlier this year I fulfilled a dream – design and produce a T-shirt with messages around reducing the effects of passive smoking on children in Cape Town. We see so much pneumonia, wheezing and uncontrolled asthma produced or aggravated through children being exposed to cigarette smoke in the home. 42% of adult men in the Western Cape smoke and 25% of women – those are the highest figures on the country. So in March I got the T-shirts made and started to wear one. I have sta

Tobacco caused 7.1 million fatalities worldwide last year

Tobacco caused 7.1 million fatalities worldwide last year

Heart disease and smoking are the leading causes of death associated with a range of health conditions, which include cancer and respiratory diseases. ""Life expectancy in Nigeria is growing, but people in many other sub-Saharan African countries are living longer, healthier lives". Nigeria has a higher life expectancy than South Africa, Niger, or Cameroon, but it lags behind Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. These exemplar countries may provide information on successful policies