Durham Health cites 16,000 Ontario tobacco deaths a year ahead of World No Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day is May 31, and the Durham Region Health Department issued a statement May 27 citing an estimate of 16,000 tobacco-related deaths each year in Ontario and survey results showing 13.4% of Ontario students in Grades 7 to 12 reported vaping in the past year.

The health department’s statement tied those figures to concerns about youth nicotine use and referenced the World Health Organization’s (WHO) theme for this year’s observance, “countering industry manipulation.”

World No Tobacco Day was started by the WHO in 1987 and is recognized annually to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use.

In its May 27 statement, the Durham Region Health Department said tobacco and nicotine industries target young people through flavoured products, social media and other marketing tactics.

The 2023 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey found that 13.4% of Ontario students in Grades 7 to 12 reported vaping in the past year, the health department said.

The department also cited an Ontario-wide estimate of 16,000 deaths every year linked to tobacco.

The WHO’s theme for this year’s World No Tobacco Day is “countering industry manipulation.” The WHO advocates for policy measures including bans on flavours it says can make tobacco and nicotine products more appealing to youth, according to the health department’s statement.

“The potential health impacts of vaping remain a concern due to limited evidence on the long-term effects of vapour exposure,” said Ann-Marie Ho, a public health nurse with the Durham Region Health Department. “Sugars, flavours and cooling agents all mask the harshness of nicotine so you inhale more and get addicted faster.”

More information is available at durham.ca/TobaccoAndVaping.