According to experts, media should play an important role in annihilation of tobacco together with the stake holders, which include the nongovernmental organizations and through different genres to save youngsters from the social evil and related health problems like cancer.

They were taking part in the one-day workshop on ''The Tobacco Control and the Role of the Media'' organized by the Voluntary Health Association of Goa (VHAG) together with the NGO GOACAN, the Goa Union of Journalist
(GUJ) and the International Centre, Goa (ICG).

Dr. Gladstone D'Costa of the VHAG stated, "'The media should launch a campaign against the evil that has been claiming nine lakh lives every year across India with one in 10 deaths related to tobacco use ."

Citing a research, Dr. Gladstone said that India and China would account for 80% of the tobacco linked fatalities in the coming year if the trend was not reversed through a mission mode and the government agencies are not activated on the lines of HIV/AIDS campaign.

Stating that tobacco has 4800 chemicals, 69 of which had been carcinogenous, he said tobacco epidemic was on rise in India with 37% of kids starting smoking before the age of ten even as chewing tobacco and tobacco-mixed products among the people was booming.

While second hand smoking was also very dangerous and in third hand smoking tobacco residues were left in homes that could have harmful effects on kids.

He had called for adopting what he termed ''MPOWER approach'' like in New York by then major Bloomberg in collaboratrion with the WHO which had yielded positive results in the USA. (With Inputs from Agencies)