Annual event encourages people to stop using tobacco

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Thursday was the annual push for stopping tobacco use in the nation.

The Great American Smokeout is a day for the medical community to encourage smokers and vapers to quit tobacco use by getting them to take the first step... trying to go a day without using tobacco.

The annual day of awareness has been going on for more than 40 years, and is sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

According to the American Cancer Society, 30% of cancer deaths are related to tobacco use, and it’s also a common cause of cardiovascular disease.

A doctor with Mayo Clinic Health System says it’s not just cigarette smokers who are at risk, but vapers too.

“We know for sure that vaping does cause damage to the lung, which has its own name, vaping-related lung injury,” said Dr. Aryan Shiari, an Intensive Care Pulmonologist. “The results were very dramatic, you could have very young patients who had devastating lung injury.”

The medical community says tobacco use is the leading cause of death in Wisconsin, with more than 7,000 deaths last year in the state.

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