Visitors to Turkey are pleased to hear that more efforts are being made to educate people about the dangers of smoking and passive smoking. Smoking can create health problems not just for the smoker, but for non-smokers, too. Through passive smoking, a person who has never smoked can get lung cancer. Turkey is known for its tobacco industry and the wide use of cigarettes at an early age. Ads on television and in other forms of mass media aim to cut cigarette smoking in Turkey. A number of people have written to me to express their delight that Turkey is taking steps in this direction and have even recently introduced changes in its anti-smoking laws.
Many foreign visitors are surprised to be approached by young children asking for a cigarette -- even around the young and impressionable age of 9 or 10.
Deborah writes: “Dear Charlotte, it seems that everywhere I go in Turkey there is cigarette smoke or the scent of it. Coming from a culture where smoking is not ‘in,’ I find it hard to always be around it. … I find I have to do my laundry more often because the smell gets into my clothes.”
Janet describes how funny she finds the “no-smoking” sections in some places. She says:
“Dear Charlotte, I cannot get away from the smoke here. It does not matter whether it is in an office, a cafe or just walking down the street, the smell of cigarettes is everywhere! Even though some cafes have tried to create ‘no-smoking’ sections, they’ve not got quite the hang of it, because the smoke drifts over to the no-smoking section. In some places the table next to you may be for smokers and there is nothing between you to stop the smoke coming your way.”
Dear Today’s Zaman readers, if you are concerned about this situation, be encouraged. The situation here is improving for non-smokers. In the past you could always count on a Turk having a match, because so many people smoked. Now when you have to ask someone for a light they have a match or a lighter, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they smoke. It is handy to carry one just in case you need to light a candle, if the electricity goes out.
Some of you may remember Bea Vanni, who started a blog about Turkey that provided a venue for her and fellow bloggers to express personal and professional experiences on everyday events that we many not necessarily understand. Sadly, Bea left Turkey in December. But her blog remains at www.remarkablesolutionsblog.com
Bea wrote about this in her blog and offers the following practical advice: If you are a smoker and wish to stop or if your loved one smokes and you want to help them quit, here are a few facts to share with them from www.cancer.org
In 2006 there will be an estimated 174,470 new cases of lung cancer in the US and an estimated 162,460 Americans will die from the disease. The statistics for Turkish smokers are probably worse. I don’t know.
Roughly 10 percent of all lung cancer cases occur in people without a history of smoking. What is this number for Turkey. Does anyone know?
Known risk factors that may affect people regardless of their personal history of smoking include exposure to secondhand smoke and radon, as well as occupational exposure to asbestos and certain chemicals and metals. The Turkish people do not yet have the benefit of many special programs for combating the other chemicals that are killing them in their homes or places of work.
There are 46 million former smokers in the US. How many former smokers are there in Turkey? Can anyone tell me?
If you know about these statistics for Turkey, please share them with us so we can all benefit.
If you want to learn more about the health issues plaguing Turkey, go to the Ministry of Health website at www.saglik.gov.tr/eng. You can also find out about the annual event in November called the Great Smokeout, which is now an annual event in Turkey. This event is held every year to bring attention to an international epidemic and to encourage smokers to stop smoking for just one day with the hope of quitting forever.
If you know the answers to any of Bea’s questions, drop me a note. I’d be interested in knowing, too.
Stay healthy!
