Health Effects Of Smoking Cigarettes

Smoking takes thousands of lives each year, and yet chain smokers tend to grow in numbers. The deaths are caused due to many kinds to diseases caused by smoking and the various ingredients present in the cigarette tobacco. One of the most dreaded diseases that smokers get is lung cancer. However, smoking cigarettes can also lead to throat and mouth cancers.

No doubt, the biggest threat smoking poses is lung cancer. Anyone suffering from lung cancer due to smoking will tell you how painful the disease can be. If the cancer is detected in an advanced stage, which invariably the case, just palliative treatment can be given.

Smoking also causes many cardiovascular diseases. Smoking slows the flow of oxygen in the blood and this can result in a heart attack. Carbon monoxide and nicotine contributes to high heart rate and blood pressure. Tar present in the cigarette coats the lungs, and leads to lung cancer and other lung diseases like emphysema. Usually emphysema is caused due to excessive smoking of cigarette.

It is estimated that three out of four deaths due to heart attacks are invariably caused due to smoking.

Cigarette smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight baby, premature delivery, spontaneous abortion, and prenatal mortality. Therefore, when pregnant ladies smoke, they not only pose a dangerous to themselves, but also the unborn fetus.

Records indicate that deaths due to smoking have increased significantly over the years, and unless and until certain measures are taken to control the number of fatalities, it will keep on rising.

BUTTS EVERYWHERE..!

Once one finishes their smoke, where does the butt go? If there is no ashtray, the common answer is on the ground. This is littering. But why would you care? What I find ironic is that many smokers do 'care' for the environment (Taylor-Cassan, 2007). Yet I find so many cigarette buds lying around - with many not even realizing the effects this has to our earth (Taylor-Cassan, 2007). 

 What damage do these butts cause? Not only to they damage the appearance of the environment, but the chemicals used in cigarettes can dramatically harm wildlife (Polito, 2010). Cigarettes are not biodegradable and so are left lying around damaging the environment for as much as fifteen years (Polito, 2010). So maybe anti-smoking campaigns should raise awareness about the effects smoking has to the environment?

SMOKING

Smoking can be defined as the inhalation of the smoke of burning tobacco encased in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Casual smoking is the act of smoking only occasionally, usually in a social situation or to relieve stress. A smoking habit is a physical addiction to tobacco products. Many health experts now regard habitual smoking as a psychological addiction, too, and one with serious health consequences.

The most common method of smoking today is through cigarettes, primarily industrially manufactured but also hand-rolled from loose tobacco and rolling paper. Other smoking implements include bidis, hookahs,     vaporizers and bongs. It has been suggested that smoking-related disease kills one half of all long term smokers but these diseases may also be contracted by non-smokers. A 2007 report states that about 4.9 million people worldwide each year die as a result of smoking.

In addition, smoking affects the environment. Surprised? Well, this is something that most people do not pay attention to. Smoking causes both air and ground pollution.