Illustration of diseased lungs showing damage caused by tobacco use

Harmful effects of tobacco on human health

Stethoscope with a heartbeat line, representing the health risks and preventable illnesses caused by tobacco consumption

Tobacco consumption causes preventable illness and premature death.

Hospital bed with a medical cross, representing mortality caused by smoking in the DRC

In the DRC, the mortality rate due to smoking in 2019 was estimated at 4.05%.

Bar chart with an upward arrow, representing the accelerating impact of second-hand smoke on smoking-related mortality in the DRC

Second-hand smoke is also one of the factors accelerating smoking-related mortality in the DRC.

Smoking is a serious health problem for smokers and those exposed to tobacco smoke. It remains the leading preventable risk factor for non-communicable diseases. In 2019, more than 8 million people (6.53 million adult men and 2.14 million adult women) died as a result of smoking.

Active smoking is the main cause of death (7.37 million), followed by passive smoking (1.30 million). Every year, 146,000 Africans die from smoking. The economic cost of treating tobacco-related diseases represents 3.5% of total annual health expenditure in Africa.

This page presents the damaging effects of tobacco on human health in the DRC. It covers the health consequences of smoking, tobacco-related diseases and other factors associated with smoking.

Tobacco poses a health risk whatever the method of consumption.

a) Effects of tobacco smoke on the body

Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 toxic substances, including some seven carcinogens.

The chemicals in tobacco smoke can damage the human body in a number of ways. For example, nicotine constricts veins and arteries. This can damage the heart by forcing it to work faster and harder, slowing down your blood and reducing the oxygen supply to your feet and hands. Carbon monoxide deprives the heart of the oxygen it needs to pump blood. Over time, the airways swell, letting less air into the lungs.

Tar is a sticky substance that coats the lungs of smokers like soot in a chimney. Phenols paralyze and kill the hair cells in the airways. These cells clean the lining of the airways and protect them from infection. The tiny particles in tobacco smoke irritate the throat and lungs, causing “smoker’s cough”. This damages lung tissue, forcing it to produce more mucus. Eyes, nose and throat are irritated by ammonia and formaldehyde. Carcinogenic chemicals cause cells to develop too quickly or inadequately. This can lead to cancerous cells.

b) Effects of smokeless tobacco on the body

Among the 2000 or so chemical substances contained in smokeless tobacco are many of the same toxic and carcinogenic products found in cigarette smoke, such as nitrosamine, radioactive polonium, cyanide and arsenic, to mention but a few. There’s also nicotine, a source of physical dependence like cigarettes. These substances are absorbed through the mucous membrane of the mouth.

An average dose of snuff, held in the mouth for around 30 minutes, provides as much nicotine as four cigarettes. The user reaches a level of nicotine in the blood that is as high or even higher than smoking a cigarette. Snuff is more addictive than chewing tobacco, and carries a greater risk of cancer.

Document with a ribbon and a pie chart

Ailments Caused by Smoking Cigarettes

The figure below describes the effects of smoking in the human body.