Kinshasa, November 2nd, 2026 (CPA).- The harmful effects of powdered tobacco (Tumbaku) on health have been explained on Monday to young people in the municipality of Ngaba in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the aim of breaking users’ addiction, It is learnt from associated sources. “Powdered tobacco is considered by many to cure numerous illnesses; however, few are aware of the harmful effects of this powdered tobacco on health. Consuming tobacco by snuffing or chewing causes numerous illnesses, including lung cancer and mouth cancer, from which it is difficult to recover, as well as heart disease, dental problems and throat cancer,” Dr Benjamine Sangabu, coordinator of the NGO “Ngemba”, has declared.
″If some of the positive effects of tobacco are known, so too are its dangers, particularly as most users abuse it and eventually become unable to do without it. People are misled by the hallucinogenic effects and fleeting sense of calm that this powder provides, ″ she has added. Dr Sangabuhas specified that to eradicate the use of powdered tobacco,commonly known as ‘tumbako’, action must be taken on two main fronts: medical treatment for users to break their addiction, and strong community and government measures to stop its circulation.
According to the coordinator, the aim of this initiative was to raise public awareness of the consequences of this practice, which is becoming increasingly widespread within society and widely consumed in “DRC”. Artisanal powdered tobacco (Tumbaku) is made from dried and ground Nicotiana tabacum leaves, sometimes mixed with indigenous salt or other substances; it is used nasally (sniffed), applied to the gums or chewed.