Indian Army leads anti-tobacco awareness campaign in Tinsukia
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Dibrugarh: The Indian Army marked World No Tobacco Day with a comprehensive awareness campaign at Daisajan in Tinsukia district on Saturday, focusing on exposing the manipulative tactics employed by tobacco companies to target young consumers.
Organised under Operation Sadbhavna, the event centred around this year's theme — 'Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products'. The initiative drew participation from local students and youth, emphasising the military's commitment to community welfare beyond national defence.
The programme commenced with participants taking an anti-tobacco pledge. Army officials then delivered detailed presentations highlighting the sophisticated marketing strategies tobacco companies use to entice young people into nicotine addiction.
The awareness session provided crucial insights into how tobacco companies exploit psychological vulnerabilities, particularly among teenagers and young adults.
Officials explained how colourful packaging, flavoured products, and strategic placement in popular venues are designed to normalise tobacco consumption .
The army officials highlighted the health consequences of tobacco use, including cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disorders. They presented statistical data showing how tobacco-related illnesses affect young users who begin consumption during their teenage years. Beyond health impacts, the session addressed economic consequences, highlighting how tobacco addiction drains family resources and perpetuates cycles of poverty in rural communities.
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Laboratory investigations revealed subclinical hypothyroidism and elevated evening cortisol levels, which disrupt the body's natural stress response and sleep cycle. Kotwal attributed her condition primarily to light pollution or photo pollution – chronic exposure to artificial light at night during biologically-intended sleep hours. Streetlights, illuminated billboards, neon signage, industrial and office lighting during night shifts, household lighting, and external security lights are the common sources of light pollution. Kotwal's prescription started with a series of light hygiene measures: installing blackout curtains, wearing an eye mask during sleep and using blue-light blocking glasses after sunset. Blue light is emitted by electronic gadgets such as smartphones and tablets. She was also advised to avoid screens for at least two hours before sleeping. To restore the patient's circadian (24-hourly) rhythm through chronotherapy, Kotwal recommended scheduled bright light exposure in the early evening to increase alertness during her desired wake phase, followed by a gradual dimming of ambient light to cue sleep readiness. Stress management, including mindfulness and deep-breathing exercises, were also advised. Regular monitoring and control of the thyroid-stimulating hormone and of blood glucose levels formed an essential component of her long-term care. Diligent adherence to this integrative regimen helped the patient experience significant recovery. However, Kotwal noted that in certain individuals, especially those with persistent sleep disruption and heightened stress, melatonin supplementation or sleeping pills may be required. Left unaddressed, such circadian misalignment may put individuals at the risk of – or exacerbate – metabolic disorders like type-2 diabetes. Anoop Misra, chairman, Fortis-C-DOC Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology, says clinical practice is increasingly showing up patients of hormonal imbalances and metabolic dysfunction such as diabetes, where light pollution and the ensuing stress and sleep disturbances are suspected contributors. This is, perhaps, an outcome of 80% of the world living under light-polluted skies, according to a world atlas of artificial sky luminance generated in 2016. Misra stressed the need to establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship between light pollution and metabolic disorders through controlled studies, which India has few of. However, a review of health studies conducted overseas shows that light pollution has a severe detrimental impact on human health, causing mental health issues, cancer and Alzheimer's. Effects of artificial light Being exposed to artificial light at night reduces the production of melatonin, popularly called 'the hormone of darkness' since it is produced at night. Insufficient melatonin, in turn, disrupts the body's circadian rhythm, the biological clock regulating the sleep-wake cycle. The fallout of this isn't just the obvious sleep disturbances – exacerbated metabolic, hormonal and immunological imbalances are some of the other outcomes. A study published in Sleep and Vigilance in January 2021 described the role of melatonin in the development and growth of cancer, immune activity, anti-oxidation and free radical scavenging (neutralising free radicals that can potentially harm healthy cells and tissues). Co-author Manisha Naithani, professor of biochemistry at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, explained that the damage starts in the part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, when it receives light signals from photosensitive cells in the retina. The suprachiasmatic nucleus is a part of the brain, located in the front part of the hypothalamus, the central control of the endocrinological system. It works as the brain's central clock, regulating the daily rhythm of the body. Naithani's study cites epidemiological evidence supporting the cancer link. 'A Spanish study showed greater breast cancer risk and prostate cancer risk in people exposed to higher artificial light levels at night,' she said. 'An Israeli study found a 73% increase in breast cancer incidence in areas with high night-time light.' 'Female shift workers such as nurses and police personnel have a higher breast cancer risk (see here and here),' she said. Naithani pointed out that insufficient sleep is associated with hormone-sensitive cancers, meaning cancers that develop as an outcome of hormonal disturbances, such as breast, colorectal and endometrial cancers. Some other side effects of exposure to artificial light at night are weight gain, gut inflammation, mood disorders and low resistance to environmental and emotional stressors. A review study published in August 2024 established a clear link between light pollution and sleep disturbances leading to mood alterations, a finding in line with psychiatrists' clinical experience. 'Poor sleep or insomnia is closely tied to depression and anxiety,' said Kersi Chavda, consultant psychiatrist, PD Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Mumbai. 'People living in brightly lit urban areas often report feeling more stressed, anxious, or down. Night-time light exposure also makes seasonal depression worse for some, since the natural contrast between night and day gets blurred. Some victims find it harder to concentrate and think clearly during the day.' Both Naithani and Chavda cited the blue light from a cell phone, and LEDs, as a key contributor to light pollution. 'Blue-enriched light affects the suprachiasmatic nucleus the most, causing chronic stress and potentially triggering inflammation and lowering immunity,' said Naithani. 'Children, shift workers and those already dealing with mental health challenges are most vulnerable,' added Chavda. Higher outdoor night-time light has also been linked with a higher prevalence of Alzheimer's disease. In fact, it was found to be a bigger risk factor for Alzheimer's than factors such as alcohol abuse, chronic kidney disease, depression, heart failure and obesity, according to a study published in Frontiers of Neuroscience last year. The challenge, Naithani said, is that the 'potential detrimental effects of artificial light are not known to all, the hidden perils of light are yet to be brought in full public knowledge so that night-time light can be dealt with effectively.' Low awareness An online survey published in the Journal of Urban Management in September 2022 found very low awareness of light pollution among Indians aged 16 to 65 years – the age group that is most likely to have a nightlife and be exposed to various kinds of light pollution that the study described, such as light trespass, skyglow, over-illumination, light clutter and glare. Recognise the many kinds of light pollution Light trespass: refers to light spilling over the area it is meant to illuminate. For instance, when undesired street light enters someone's window. Skyglow: is the orange-pink glow that envelopes the night skies of many cities. Natural factors as well as artificial lighting emit skyglow and are further scattered through dust particles, gas and suspended water droplets. Over-illumination: is the practice of using more light than what is needed for a specific activity or place. For instance, keeping lights on when no one is present. Light clutter: is caused by excessively bright lights that can cause confusion. For instance, some streets have too much lighting and overly bright advertisement screens. Glare: is the effect of bright light on eyes, such as when car headlights flash in the face of a pedestrian. Glare can impact eyes and vision in varying degrees, from being merely distracting to discomforting to disabling and in the worst possible case, blinding. When respondents were asked how often they had heard of light pollution, 57% replied they hadn't heard of it at all. When they were asked to explain light pollution, some of them said it referred to 'violation of UV and other harmful rays in the sunlight', 'pollution which is not very harmful' and 'maybe something related to the environment'. The authors concluded that the lack of awareness extended the threat associated with light pollution. Public lighting is widely perceived to contribute to safety but research does not prove this link. A study conducted in the UK showed that darkness does not increase the risk of certain types of crime. 'Outdoor lighting may lower safety by making victims and potential theft articles more easily visible,' said Tanya Bedi, assistant professor, Department of Architecture, School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal. Poor enforcement Artificial light at night has been shown to increase with the growth of a country's gross domestic product. But this association is deeper. It's not the GDP volume as such that increases night-time brightness but the physical expansion of cities through real estate, highways, and urban sprawl, explained Bedi. Essentially, 'as a nation develops, infrastructure indicators such as road and streetlight density contribute to brightness levels', she said. Studies in India comparing light pollution over time show how much more bright the night sky has become. A study by Bedi and others at the School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal, identified Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai as India's most polluted cities from the perspective of light. Their research also found streets with illumination four times the Indian Standards recommendation. A key reason for the excessive increase in night-time luminosity is the outburst of development with no strict regulations. 'Urban local bodies like municipal corporations, development authorities, and gram panchayats are responsible for public lighting,' said Bedi. 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Also practical issues like how tender specifications are framed, and limited technical capacity for monitoring lighting design must be addressed.' Practical strategies to mitigate light pollution include mandating the use of full cut-off luminaires and environment-friendly backlight-uplight-glare rated lighting fixtures to minimise glare and skyglow, said Bedi. 'Further, energy efficiency concerns have pushed the widespread adoption of LEDs, but warm-toned LEDs can help reduce circadian rhythm disruptions in both humans and wildlife.' Zoning can also play a key role in reducing light pollution. Creating lighting environmental zones, particularly in ecologically sensitive or biodiversity-rich areas, would allow for more adaptive and localised control, said Bedi. 'Ward-level prioritisation maps would support a phased implementation approach, targeting the most ecologically vulnerable or light-polluted areas first.' A lot can be done. But the experience of those who have complained shows that so far, light pollution isn't being taken seriously enough.
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