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Turkey respiratory health concerns

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2026-07-26 07:59 UTC → 2026-08-01 09:34 UTC · added removed

In July 2026, Turkish medical experts highlighted the often‑overlooked hazards of barbecue smoke, noting warned that charcoal and lighter‑fluid combustion barbecue smoke releases colourless, odourless toxic gases that can aggravate asthma, promote trigger chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and increase raise lung‑cancer risk with repeated exposure. They advised risk, urging grilling in well‑ventilated spaces and avoiding direct inhalation. areas. Later that month, Turkey’s the health ministry linked the country’s high smoking prevalence—about nation’s roughly one‑third of the population—to smoking prevalence to a surge in COPD and lung‑cancer cases, placing Turkey among the world’s highest incidence rates. Officials emphasized that, alongside tobacco, long‑term exposure to air pollution, lung‑cancer, noting that air‑pollution, bio‑fuel smoke and cooking gases also contributes to respiratory disease, and contribute. Officials called for broader lifestyle changes and medical interventions such as highlighted balloon bronchial dilatation. dilatation as a minimally invasive treatment for severe airway narrowing. On 26 July, Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu confirmed that about 34 % of Turks smoke, placing the country second worldwide for lung‑cancer incidence. He reiterated that long‑term exposure to tobacco, pollution and cooking gases drives COPD, and added that obesity, alcohol and unhealthy diets further burden public health. On 1 August, Prof. Şevket Özkaya reported a sharp rise in lung‑cancer among people under 50, including non‑smokers, and suggested links to chemical exposures from cosmetics and hair dyes. He urged greater public awareness, research into environmental risk factors and preventive measures, expanding the focus beyond tobacco to broader environmental hazards.

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  1. 2026-08-01 09:34 UTC Turkey respiratory health concerns
  2. 2026-07-26 07:59 UTC Turkey respiratory health concerns

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