Scientific talk in Bursa Nilüfer spotlights cigarette and e-cigarette addiction and youth risks

Key Takeaways

• Event: Nilüfer Municipality hosted “Does Addiction Change Form? Cigarettes, E-Cigarettes and Lung Health”
• Context: held under February 9 Quit Smoking Day to raise awareness of tobacco addiction’s social impacts
• Content: addiction risks, secondhand smoke harms for children, and health risks linked to tobacco and e-cigarettes
• Venue: Nilüfer Municipality Dr. Ceyhun İrgil Health Museum

2Firsts,  Feb 10 2026

According to the mersinhaber, Nilüfer Municipality in Bursa organized a talk titled “Bağımlılık Şekil Değiştirir mi? Sigara, Elektronik Sigara ve Akciğer Sağlığı” (“Does Addiction Change Form? Cigarettes, E-Cigarettes and Lung Health”) as part of February 9 Quit Smoking Day, aiming to raise awareness about the social impact of tobacco addiction.

The report says Prof. Dr. Yeşim Uncu stated that February 9 is an important day for smokers to question their decision to quit and cited that around 8 million people worldwide die each year from diseases related to tobacco products, comparing the scale to Covid-19 pandemic deaths. She said all available means should be used in the fight against smoking and noted that free support can be obtained from smoking cessation clinics across Türkiye.

Specialist Dr. Güler Yürekli was quoted as saying cigarette addiction develops faster than substances such as cannabis and cocaine, and warning that cigarettes remain easily accessible across age groups despite regulations. She said smoking harms all body systems, increases risks including COPD, lung cancer and infections, and also raises risks of heart attack, stroke and hypertension. She highlighted risks for children from secondhand smoke, including more frequent asthma and middle ear infections. She said smoking is not a habit but an addiction and disease, and that product accessibility is a major barrier to quitting, adding that only one in ten smokers can quit on their own. She also cited that tobacco smoke contains about 7,000 toxic substances and at least 80 carcinogens, and said cigars, hookah, pipes and e-cigarettes carry the same risks.

On e-cigarettes, Prof. Dr. Aslı Görek Dilektaşı said claims that e-cigarettes are less harmful do not reflect reality. She said declining smoking rates have put the tobacco industry’s profitability at risk and that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are presented as “innovation,” with companies using a “harm reduction” narrative. Citing US data, she said one in five high school students and one in twenty middle school students use e-cigarettes, describing rapidly rising youth use, and stated that harmful substances found in conventional cigarettes are also present in e-cigarettes.

The report says the shared message at the end was a goal of a world free from all tobacco and nicotine-containing products, emphasizing that the effort requires a social approach beyond health and education systems alone. Deputy Mayor Okan Şahin thanked the speakers. The report adds that the event took place at Nilüfer Municipality’s Dr. Ceyhun İrgil Health Museum, with speakers from Bursa Uludağ University Faculty of Medicine and the deputy mayor in attendance.

Image Source: mersinhaber