A national anti-tobacco organization has urged Bollywood supper star Amitabh Bachchan To withdraw from an ad campaign promoting pan masala, saying that the move would help the youth to wean away from tobacco addiction.
In a letter to Bachchan, National Tobacco Eradication Organization President Shekhar Salkar said that medical research has proved that tobacco and pan masala addiction worsens the health of citizens, especially the youth, and added that since he (Bachchan) ) is the government brand ambassador of the high profile pulse polio campaign, he should be thrown out of pan masala advertisements at the earliest.
“Paan (paan) can act as a direct carcinogenic. Recent research has shown that substances present in betel nut can convert into carcinogens in the body, which can lead to oral cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) accept the scientific evidence that betel nut (paan) chewing is carcinogenic to humans,” said the letter to Bachchan.
“As an oncologist and a member of an NGO working in the field of tobacco cessation, I am saddened to wage war against questionable measures taken by various influential and renowned Bollywood actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh and others. I am excited and Hrithik Roshan, thereby increasing the use of tobacco among students,” Salkar’s letter said, adding that students have now become the target audience for cigarette and tobacco companies.
On several occasions over the past decade, the note has publicly targeted celebrities for smoking. In 2010, filmstar Ajay Devgn was fined for smoking in a public place at the International Film Festival of India venue in Panaji due to interference of note.
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