Israel Cancer Association to Haredim: Don't give kids cigarettes - even

A child avoiding smoking. Illustration. — Photo: Nikolai Moiseenko/Shutterstock

The Israel Cancer Association has released a statement for the Haredi community today, (Wednesday), asking them to not give children cigarettes, whether physical or electronic, due to the health hazards they present, according to Channel 14.

"It is essential to understand that even a single experience with regular cigarettes or electronic cigarettes among children and adolescents is a slippery slope and, in fact, a dangerous gateway to the world of regular smoking with all its serious health damages," they stressed.

"Cigarette smoke contains about 7,000 different chemicals, including about 350 toxic substances that affect various body systems, and about 70 of them are known carcinogens such as benzene, formalin, cadmium, benzopyrene, and tar, so giving a child a cigarette on Purim is like distributing a sample of rat poison," they reported.

The Association said that "almost every hour, a person in Israel dies as a result of diseases caused by active or passive smoking. Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking also increases the risk of tuberculosis, eye diseases, immune system problems, and rheumatoid arthritis. Smoking is a known cause of impotence in men and fertility problems in women."

Regarding electronic cigarettes, which many believe are harmless, they explained: "Because of the colorful appearance and sweet smell, in many cases children, teenagers, and even parents do not understand that an electronic cigarette can cause significant health damage and physical and psychological dependence. Therefore, we emphasize that this is an addiction to a smoking product that is dangerous to health."

According to a Health Ministry report, some 2,907 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in 2021, of whom 60.3% were men and the remainder women. 1,875 people died of lung caner in the same year.

The report noted that the main risk factor for lung cancer, by far, is active and addictive smoking, and that the overwhelming majority of instances of lung cancer manifested among those who smoke or who used to smoke.

As of the end of last year, there were 6,512 Israelis stricken with lung cancer, of whom 5,768 were Jews or others and 744 were Arabs.