By Mariama Njie
Top health expert has revealed that cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals that can cause health complications and lead to death if the subject doesn’t quit smoking at an earlier stage.
Seyfor Singhateh told The Voice in an exclusive interview that cigarette contain 7,000 chemicals” which he added “damages tissues throughout the body which cause blood clots.
He said teenage smokers suffer more from shortness of breath, and almost three times as often as teens who don’t smoke, and produce phlegm more than twice as often as teens who don’t smoke.
“Smoking kills 33-50% of all those who use it by an average of 15 years premature and Substantial economic resources are lost due to tobacco-related illnesses, premature disability, and death,” he said.
Meanwhile, Omar Jatta, who quit smoking said he quit smoking “because I started to experience shortness of breath and pain in my chest, said to myself I will stop smoking for good. “
“It’s really sad that more youths in The Gambia are turning to smokers, especially the boys. Smoking is very bad, as a former smoker I will advise fellow youths who engage into smoking to quit for their own health and know that smoking is not good,” he added.
Muhammed Badjie, a smoker said he never thought he could ever smoke in his life, adding everything started when he started moving with some new peers who among them three smoked cigarettes and marijuana.
“I was influenced by my smoker peers who encouraged me to have a test and that’s how I became a smoker,” he said.
Mamadi Camara, a non-smoker, advised parents to raise awareness to children about the dangers of smoking and the type of friends they chose to mingle with, adding “many youths today are engaged into smoking as a result of having bad friends or street smokers in their surroundings.”