PETALING JAYA, Sept 7 — Smoking, vaping, air pollution, exposure to chemicals in the workplace, and microbial infections have been identified as among the main causes of lung damage among Malaysians, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
According to him, the lungs are the most vulnerable organs to various forms of attack, thus contributing to an increase in chronic diseases such as lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis (TB), influenza and Covid-19.
“The lung is the most ‘violated’ organ in the human body. Besides self-inflicted, occupational hazards and environmental hazards also contribute to lung violation,” he told reporters after launching the Live, Laugh, Lungs campaign in conjunction with World Lung Day here yesterday.
Dr Dzulkefly said besides smoking and vaping habits, occupational factors such as exposure to asbestos, silica and hazardous chemical compounds, including gasoline can also trigger serious lung diseases, particularly among industrial workers.
“Gasoline, for example, has been proven to be a carcinogen that can cause cancer. Workers exposed to such chemicals require strict protection and control," he said.
Apart from this, he said, the lungs are also targeted by pathogenic microorganisms, leading to diseases such as TB, influenza and Covid-19.
Dr Dzulkefly said statistics show that respiratory diseases still burden the country's healthcare system, including 26,183 new TB cases recorded in 2024, while asthma affects nearly half a million children aged 6 to 17 and over 1.4 million adults.
"Lung cancer remains among the top three cancers in Malaysia, while asthma and COPD have a significant impact on the quality of life of the community, including loss of productivity due to absenteeism from work or school," he said.
Dr Dzulkefly said up to December last year, a total of 4,916 registered smokers from 857 quit smoking clinics nationwide had successfully quit the habit, representing 56.8 per cent of the 8,659 individuals committed to quitting smoking.
The Live, Laugh, Lungs campaign, organised by the National Cancer Society of Malaysia, Kenvue Malaysia and Watsons Malaysia, with the support of the Health Ministry (MOH), took place from September 3-7.
Among the activities as part of the campaign were lung health screenings with artificial intelligence (AI)-based chest X-ray technology, smoking cessation services, and family-friendly interactive educational activities.
