Effects Of Smokingdangers of smoking

Smoking brings with it many dangers. It not only affects the body and the psychology of the smoker adversely, but also harms family and friends due to passive smoke. It also has a negative impact on the environment and society. While most smokers promise they will quite tomorrow, sadly in most cases that tomorrow never arrives.

 

Toxins in Cigarettes

Cigarettes are nothing more than cocktails of some of the deadliest toxins. cigarette toxinsHere’s a list of the toxic elements present in them -

  • Carbon Monoxide, emitted as car exhaust
  • Ammonia, which generally finds use as a floor cleaner
  • Formaldehyde, generally used in preserving body tissues
  • Cadmium, employed in batteries
  • Butane, a lighter fluid substance
  • Hydrogen Cyanide, a potent gas chamber poison
  • Methane, an integral component of rocket fuels
  • Arsenic, a potent rat poison
  • Nicotine, yet another rat poison

 

Diseases Caused by Smoking

Smoking has been playing the root cause of untimely deaths every year and some of the diseases that are linked to it include lung cancer, heart ailments and respiratory disorders. Here’s are few health hazards of smoking -

  • diseases caused by smokingBesides lung cancer, smoking is also notorious for causing cancers in the larynx, bladder, oral cavity and esophagus.
  • The toxins in the cigarettes are lethal weapons that induce breathing problems and thus lung disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, abnormal lung functioning, emphysema or bronchitis may be triggered.
  • Cigarette smoking has also been traced to be one of the major risk factors for fatal heart attacks and increased blood pressure. 
  • In women, smoking may bring about any disaster starting from infertility and pregnancy complications to early menopause and miscarriages. In extreme cases, sperm abnormalities can also be triggered by the cigarette toxins or the mother’s breast milk may leave hazardous effects on the baby.
  • The nicotine on the other hand triggers a range of musculo-skeletal problems ranging from osteoporosis to osteopenia.
  • The pleasures of smoking may also turn into a serious matter of life and death when the smoker becomes a stroke victim or starts falling prey to brain hemorrhages. 
  • Smoking is one of the main causes of erectile dysfunction in men and the National Health Service in UK urges men to quit the habit to improve their sexual potency.

 

Other Effects of Smoking

  • Smoking is infamous for causing bad breaths and staining the teeth.
  • While there’s a regular expenditure on buying cigarettes, extra expenditure comes in the form of breath freshener purchases and teeth whitening treatments.
  • Smoking also leads to early ageing signs as your skin starts wrinkling way sooner than it normally would.
  • These days, insurance companies charge extra premium from smokers. However, as their life span is shorter, they do not get to reap the fruits of their savings and thus, the social security benefits do not quite work for them as well as it does for non smokers.
  • Smoking is one of the major causative agents of air pollution as they emit carbon monoxide.
  • Often, cigarettes have been found to be the cause of accidental fires.
  • Psychologists agree that cigarette smoking mars the aesthetic values of a person.
  • Second-hand smoking or passive smoking is another major side effect of smoking, which also adversely affects the health of the non-smokers who are around the smoker.

 

Some Alarming Facts

  • According to Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, by the end of the year 2020, 10 million people will have died due to tobacco consumption.
  • Every year, over 17,000 children within the age of 5 years are admitted to hospital as victims of passive smoking.
  • The Health Select Committee says that secondhand smoke is potent enough to cause 500 deaths in a week.

  • The National Health Service (NHS) spends over £1.5 billion annually just for the treatment of illnesses caused by smoking.

 

 Smoking Statistics

  • A single cigarette is made up of 49 carcinogens and 4000 other toxic substances.
  • More than 90% of the deaths caused by lung cancer point to cigarette smoking as root reason.
  • Smokers annually impose above $150 billion on the US economy.
  • Smoking diminishes an average person’s life span by 7 to 8 years, while, many experts claim that the life span cut down is equivalent to the time engaged in smoking.
  • Around 33% of the global population of adult males smokes.
  • Each minute, 7 people die due to tobacco use.