TDS Desk

PROGGA has demanded appropriate action to curb the use and expansion of tobacco and nicotine products.

Tomorrow, September 25, is World Lung Day 2026. This year’s theme is “A Lifetime of Lung Health.” Lung and respiratory illnesses are among the leading causes of premature death worldwide. The use of tobacco and nicotine products increases the risk of various severe lung diseases, including lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tuberculosis, and asthma. According to the “Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics 2023,” two of the top five leading causes of death in the country are lung and respiratory diseases. According to the World Health Organization, secondhand smoke as well as smoking poses a severe threat to lung health.

In Bangladesh, nearly 200,000 people die every year from various tobacco-related diseases, and 35.3 percent of the adult population uses tobacco. Because new-generation products such as e-cigarettes, vaping devices, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches remain outside the scope of current legislation, their use among teenagers and youth is increasing at an alarming rate.

In a reaction marking World Lung Day 2026, ABM Zubair, Executive Director of the research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), said, “To protect lung health, appropriate steps must be taken to prevent the use and spread of conventional tobacco products as well as e-cigarettes, vaping, and other nicotine products.”