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Dar gets tobacco smoke filtering machines
2005-10-21 07:50:31
By Judica Tarimo
Dar es Salaam now has the latest technology for filtering cigarette smoke.
However, this will only be possible if the smokers will agree to puff while inside special ’houses’, specifically fitted with the filter machines.
Sweden based Roksugen Company introduced the new technology in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
The new initiative would boost up national and international drive to reduce the effects of tobacco products on human health, said the Permanent Secretary in the Vice-President Office (Environment) Raphael Mollel, in his inaugural address.
’The new technology, he said would help to reduce death rate due to cigarette smoking,’ he said.
Roksugen, he said has appointed Twins 2002 Ltd as the sole distributor of the equipment.
Officials said the equipment could be housed in or out of the office, where about five cigarette smokers can be at time.
Bernard William Mkapa, Twins-2002 Ltd Executive Director said the technology would help eliminate problems experienced by non-smokers.
’Today, both smokers and non-smokers can sit together, as the latter cannot feel the bad smell. The whole smoke is observed by the machine,’ said Mkapa.
Tanzania, he said is the first country in East and Central Africa to import such technology.
’It is useful as the international community is struggling hard to reduce the effects of tobacco products,’ he said.
Current statistics indicate that millions of people die due to smoke related diseases, experts say.
Passive adult smoking increase the possibility to get heart and lung diseases and cancer in mouth and nose,’ said Jeanine Poberb, an expert from the Roksugen Company.
One cigarette contains more than 600 different substances, she said.
She said over 4,000 different substances are formed during smoking and about 50 per cent of them are directly cancer inductive.
The World Health Organisation (WHO)’ some years back declared a global war against tobacco smoking.
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