World No Tobacco Day will be marked in Kyrgyzstan on May 31. Chinara Bekbasarova, head of the Department of the Republican Center for Health Promotion and Mass Communication, told at a press conference in Bishkek.
«The global campaign of World No Tobacco Day this year is aimed at raising public awareness about the impact on the environment of the entire tobacco cycle, from its cultivation, production and distribution to the toxic waste. The World Health Organization has chosen the motto: «Tobacco: Threat to our environment,» she told.
The expert noted that tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 toxic substances, including carcinogens, as well as greenhouse gases; chemicals from production are emitted into the atmosphere, polluting the air.
«Annual tobacco production accounts for nearly 84 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and thousands of tons of chemicals are released into the atmosphere, soil and water. About 6 trillion cigarettes are produced worldwide each year with up to 680 million tons of cigarette butts ending up in the environment. Cigarette butts are the most common toxic waste on our roads. In urban and coastal areas, they make up 30-40 percent of garbage and, contrary to popular belief, they do not decompose completely,» Chinara Bekbasarova concluded.
