Dangers of Smoking
Smoking is hazardous and the dangers of smoking are serious. A smoker inhales a substance containing 43 cancer-causing (carcinogenic) compounds besides four hundred other toxins including nicotine and tar. Nicotine leads to a smoking addiction. Tar which is another component present in cigarettes clogs the lungs and hinders the body’s capacity to breathe; it causes lung and throat cancer, heart disease, emphysema, bronchial and lung disorders.
Through passive smoking, even non-smokers (particularly children) are at risk of getting these illnesses. A pregnant woman who smokes increases the chance of her baby dying from SIDS, being underweight, and having behavioural problems. A recent report has shown that smoking tobacco and nicotine is the world’s leading cause of death and disability — more than HIV, AIDS, or famine. The report also estimates that smoking-related illnesses cause 30 million deaths per year.
Smoking addiction has been found to be one of the hardest addictions to kick. The addiction causing agent in cigarette is called Nicotine. Nicotine is odourless and colourless and varies in concentrations from 1 to 16 grams per cigarette.
Nicotine enters the bloodstream together with tar, reaching the brain in less than 10 seconds. In less than a minute, nicotine spreads throughout the entire body. It then increases the heart rate and blood pressure, providing the smoker with alertness and a relaxing effect. In less that 30 minutes, the nicotine effects decrease, and the smoker becomes irritable and less alert. Before a person knows it, they have lit more than 10 cigarettes in one day.
Tar attaches to the linings of the lungs and destroys its hair like projections (cilia) which traps harmful particles inhaled into the lungs. Tar also decreases the lung’s elasticity, making it harder to pump much needed oxygen throughout the body.
Yet another toxic chemical released into the body when inhaling the smoke of cigarettes, is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide binds with haemoglobin, decreasing the ability of red blood cells to supply large amount of oxygen to the body. That’s why smokers easily get tired because they need to take more breaks in order to compensate for the lack of oxygen in the body.
As time rolls by, the long-term effects of smoking become more evident. Effects on the skin become apparent. A smoker develops stains on their teeth and fingers and develops bad breath. Even the smoker’s clothes and environment smells like cigarette smoke.
Cardiovascular diseases develop because of the accumulation of plaque in the lining of blood vessels, especially on the coronary arteries, causing atherosclerosis. A decrease in the functioning of the lungs can lead to diseases like chronic bronchitis and emphysema, which are irreversible diseases of the respiratory system.
These are the eminent dangers of smoking cigarettes. It is one of the most harmful addictions that people have to give up to drive their lives towards good health and peaceful living and not mere surviving.
