Almost 6000 Moldovans die every year from tobacco use or exposure. Globally there are about 1.3 billion tobacco users, more than 8 million die, including 1.3 million from exposure to cigarette smoke alone. To raise awareness of the risks of tobacco exposure, every year on the third Thursday of November is marked as National No Tobacco-Free Day (NTSD), with the 2024 theme "Breathe Free - Choose a Smoke-Free Life", IPN reports.

According to a press release by the National Public Health Agency, according to the 2021 National Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factor Prevalence Study, 3 in 10 adults aged 18 to 69 (29.9%) actively smoke, including 52% of men and 7.7% of women, with these rates increasing compared to the previous study, particularly among young people in the 18-25 age group.

Globally, nearly 37 million children aged 13-15 use e-cigarettes and other tobacco and nicotine products. In Moldova, about 12.7% of 13-15 year olds use e-cigarettes.

The ANSP notes that, although e-cigarette use is a relatively recent phenomenon, there is growing evidence of the negative health effects of e-cigarettes. Nicotine, which is contained in tobacco and nicotine products, is addictive and acts negatively on the young, maturing brain, particularly in the areas responsible for controlling attention, learning, emotional control, decision-making or behaviour. Addiction develops in adolescents over a shorter period than in adults.

E-cigarette aerosols pose great risks to the health of both users and those around them who are exposed to secondary aerosols. In addition to nicotine, e-cigarette aerosol contains toxic chemicals such as heavy metals: chromium, nickel, lead, tin, formaldehyde - a known human carcinogen, acetaldehyde - has potentially carcinogenic properties, acrolein - a strong irritant to the respiratory system, glyoxal - has mutagenic effects and others. Specialists claim that once you quit smoking, within 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure drop, after 12 hours, the level of carbon monoxide in the blood drops to normal, in 2-12 weeks, blood circulation improves and lung function increases. In 1-9 months, coughing decreases and breathing normalizes, in one year the risk of coronary heart disease decreases by 50%, in 5 years the risk of stroke is reduced, after 10 years the risk of lung cancer is halved compared to a smoker, and in 15 years the risk of coronary heart disease is equal to that of a non-smoker.

The Ministry of Health recently launched an information campaign "Don't get vaporized!" to inform young people about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes and any other tobacco/nicotine products. Another aim is to reduce the negative impact on the health of children and teenagers, thus dispelling the myth that new tobacco and nicotine products are safer and less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

People can get access to counseling services and smoking cessation programs by calling the Republican Narcology Dispensary's hotline - 0 800 1000.