Rukaiya Najimuldeen
Breath of Death: The Truth of Tobacco
The tobacco demon is today’s true enemy of society. It is a silent killer, a powerful threat, and a destructive addiction that disrupts human progress and entangles everyday life in chaos. Somewhere in the world, every four seconds a person dies from causes related to smoking. This bitter truth, first recognized in the 20th century and continuing into the 21st, has become a serious public health crisis, like a wound that keeps growing and refuses to heal.
Each year, more than eight million lives are lost to smoking a figure higher than the total deaths caused by alcohol, cocaine use, AIDS, murders, suicides, and road accidents combined. According to the latest data from the World Health Organization, about seven million of these deaths result from direct smoking, while around 1.3 million are caused by exposure to second-hand smoke. These numbers make it clear that the deadly impact of tobacco is not limited to smokers alone. Although health authorities around the world repeatedly warn about the dangers of passive smoking, for many communities it feels like pouring water onto a rock. Even when a cigarette is no longer lit, the smoke and toxic particles trapped in the air can linger, exposing the surrounding environment and bringing even healthy individuals closer to disease and premature death.
In Sri Lanka alone, around 20,000 deaths occur annually because of tobacco use. This addiction drains the nation of billions of rupees each year. Diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, kidney disease, and high blood pressure are among the main culprits behind these deaths. Many people pass away prematurely, even when they still have the chance to fulfill their life’s dreams. As a result, countless families are left struggling with grief, financial instability, and emotional trauma.
Cigarettes were introduced to this island in the 16th century by the Portuguese. Today, 17.7 percent of Sri Lankan men are addicted to cigarettes, and 88.8 percent of them prefer popular branded products. Those who are addicted spend a significant amount of money every single day money that could otherwise be used for food, education, healthcare, and other essentials for themselves and their families. On average, heavy smokers spend around 500 rupees per day on cigarettes. Over a month or a year this is an enormous drain on household budgets, and it robs children of opportunities for a better life. In addition to the immeasurable human harm, cigarette consumption imposes a global economic burden exceeding one trillion U.S. dollars every year. This financial loss affects not only healthcare systems but also the income that families should be able to devote to food, housing, and other basic needs.
Alarmingly, about 2.5 percent of smokers in Sri Lanka are children under 18. Although the national literacy rate is a commendable 91.9 percent, only about 30 percent of the population fully understands the threats to health and life caused by smoking. The habit introduced by the Portuguese centuries ago has grown into one of the country’s most serious public health problems. This tragedy, which causes roughly two deaths every hour, demands urgent and long-term measures if it is to be reversed.
Tobacco is particularly dangerous because of the destructive attacks it launches on the human body through its toxins. Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemical substances, of which at least 250 are known to be harmful and more than 70 are carcinogenic. With every cigarette, smokers inhale between 10 and 15 free radicals highly reactive molecules that cause oxidative damage throughout the body. The cardiovascular system suffers severe pressure and progressive injury. Globally, about one quarter of all deaths from cardiovascular diseases are linked to smoking. In 2020 alone, around 20 million people died from cardiovascular conditions, and smoking was identified as a major risk factor in a large share of those cases.
The respiratory system is equally devastated. In 2017, approximately 3.3 million people died from tobacco-related lung diseases. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has affected an estimated 80 to 90 percent of long-term smokers. Even as recently as 2021, millions of global deaths were attributed to respiratory diseases, with tobacco use standing out as a leading cause. COPD alone was responsible for more than 3.6 million deaths worldwide. These figures highlight that every inhalation of smoke chips away at lung capacity and overall vitality.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking fact is the harm smoking inflicts on children, women, and even unborn babies. Due to respiratory diseases caused by passive smoking, more than 65,000 children under the age of five die every year across the world. Studies show that roughly 40 to 50 percent of all children breathe air polluted with tobacco smoke, even when they have never touched a cigarette themselves. Pregnant women exposed to smoke face higher risks of complications, miscarriages, stillbirths, and low-birth-weight infants.
- Smoking affects nearly every system of the body. Carbon monoxide and nicotine place immense strain on the cardiovascular system, while the lungs’ protective mechanisms are gradually destroyed. Brain function and cognitive performance decline over time. Reproductive and sexual health also suffer. Because of the chemical mix in tobacco, the risk of many cancers including cancers of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, bladder, and cervix is dramatically higher for smokers than for non-smokers. Nicotine also causes structural changes in the brain, creating dependence and making quitting extremely difficult. Research is unequivocal: there is no safe level of tobacco exposure. Even so called “light” or “occasional” smoking damages the body and shortens life expectancy.
Yet there is hope. Although these statistics are alarming, anyone can reduce risk and reclaim health by staying away from smoking or by quitting at any age. The body begins to heal soon after the last cigarette is put out: blood pressure drops, lung function starts to improve, and the risk of heart disease falls steadily over time. That is why cigarette packs carry the warning “Smoking causes cancer” and other stark messages. Every cigarette truly causes silent harm.
For individuals, families, and entire nations, the choice is clear. We must think carefully and not allow even a single moment to bring a cigarette between our fingers. By acting wisely and refusing to sacrifice our health for temporary pleasure, we protect not only ourselves but also the people who breathe the same air. If we want to live as examples for the next generation, we must safeguard our bodies and our society from smoking and from all forms of addictive behavior. Breaking free from tobacco is not merely a personal decision it is a commitment to the well-being of future communities and to the prosperity of the nation as a whole.
