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| Words of Wisdom: | ""if you hold the ladder for the thief you are just as bad as he is"" - Anthony DeFrank |
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Effects of Smoking There are numerous effects of smoking that affect the individual. They can affect not only your health but also your social and family life. It can also affect the non-smoker around you. Non-smokers suffer from allergies, noise and eye irritations and headaches as a result of inhaling second hand smoke. Smoking while you’re pregnant can result to the growth of the foetus and may even result in the death of the baby. Down below are some long term and short term effects of smoking. Cigarette smoke contains around 4,000 chemicals, many of which are known to be highly poisonous and very harmful - over 40 are known to cause cancer. The chemicals found in a cigarette include; • Benzene, a gasoline additive found in paints, paint thinners, adhesives and plastics. You can be exposed to benzene fumes while pumping gas. • Asbestos, It is found in acoustic ceiling tiles, floor tiles, textured paint, exterior siding and appliances. Asbestos is only dangerous when its fibers become loose or when the material crumbles, which causes small particles to be set free and inhaled. Once inhaled, the microscopic fibers remain in the body forever. Asbestos can cause lung and bowel cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis and other lung diseases. The risk of disease is believed to increase with smoking. • Vinyl chloride and its derivative polyvinyl chloride (PVC). These plastic resins found in many products, including pipes, hoses, flooring, windows and credit cards. The greatest risk is to workers in these industries who manufacture and handle these products daily. High levels also are found in the materials used in the interiors of new cars, making that "new-car smell" potentially dangerous. • Pesticides. While pesticide levels in foods are relatively harmless, pesticides used in your home or on your lawn may be dangerous because of the large quantities used. In some studies, farmers with high exposure to pesticides were found to have a higher risk of several different cancers, including leukemia. • Formaldehyde. This can be a component of many products including cosmetics, paper, textiles and drugs. Formaldehyde initially was found to cause nasal cancer in rats. Since then, there has been considerable controversy as to the role of formaldehyde in causing cancer in humans. • Other chemicals to watch out for include chloroform, trichloroethylene, tetrachlorethylene and dichlorobenzene. These may be found in solvents, cleaning products or deodorizers. Short Term Effects - increased pulse rate - increased blood pressure - dulled sense of taste and smell - reduced appetite - reduced production of urine - watering of eyes - decreased blood flow to body extremities (fingers and toes) - possible dizziness and nausea due to increased carbon monoxide levels in the lungs and blood stream - temporary stimulation - reduction of brain and nervous system activity - smells - odor of smoke in hair, clothes etc... Long Term Effects - stains on fingers and teeth - wrinkling and premature ageing of skin - decreased blood flow in vessels supplying blood to the legs, increasing the risk of gangrene - hardening and narrowing of blood vessels, particularly of the heart and legs - increased number of respiratory infections, such as colds, pneumonia and chronic bronchitis - asthma - shortness of breath and coughing - increased risk of emphysema - increased risk of developing coronary heart disease and heart attack Lung cancer is one of the numerous cancers that can form because of smoking. It is therefore not surprising that 9 out of 10 lung cancer patients are/were smokers. There are many types of cancers that can arise due to smoking. Here are some of them along with pictures. This is a picture of cheek cancer which affects the delicate cells of the cheek because they are exposed to the numerous chemicals in tobacco smoke. This is a picture of upper lip cancer which affects the cells of the upper lip. This is a section through a cancerous tumor in the lung. It is pretty thick and it severely limits the efficiency of the gaseous exchange system of your lung and this is why many people die. The smoke from a cigarette can also affect the sells of your palm and fingers as the picture below indicates. Smoking generally affects almost every part of the body not only by cancers as these pictures show but also by wrinkling and ageing etc... This is another picture of a section through a cancerous tumor but this time in the trachea. You can see it is very similar to the tumor in the lung except that it is almost instant death without medical help as the tumor can block off the wind pipe. This is a serious problem with developing countries as cigarettes are cheap and many people smoke them to relax. However these areas don't have many facilities and help, if an emergency occurs, is normally too late. Here is a whole list of cancers that can arise due to smoking: -Lung Cancer -Mouth cancer -Sinus cancer -Esophagus cancer -Brain cancer -Breast cancer -Uterus cancer -Bladder cancer -Kidney cancer -Tyroid cancer -Leukemia -Lymph gland cancer Here are some statistics of the effects of cancer: This is a graph showing the probability of getting selected cancers. You can see that a smoker has a much higher chance developing some sort of cancer while there is very little chance of a non-smoker doing so. Litter Cigarette butts and cigarette packets cause litter. Smokers in the Australia throw away about 200 cigarette packets and about 300 butts every day (which is a huge amount!). Many of these end up adding litter to the streets, dirtying floors and damaging furniture. Fire Smoking is linked to accidental damage and loss of life through fire. Tobacco contains additives to keep the cigarette alight - this increases the risk of fire. Some fires are started by small children playing with matches or lighters which have been left around by smokers. Throwing away a lighted cigarette or match near a forest can be very dangerous. A forest fire destroys everything in its path. Because young trees are destroyed along with older trees the damage is long-lasting and expensive. Farming Tobacco Cigarettes are made from dried leaves of tobacco plants. Tobacco is grown in many parts of the world, especially in the poorer, developing countries - e.g. Brazil and India. Growing tobacco is a way for these countries to make much needed money. Many poorer countries use wood to dry tobacco and have to cut down many trees to do this. In countries where wood is used for cooking and heating then if it is also used to dry tobacco, there is less for the people to use to cook their food and heat their homes. Tobacco companies encourage many local farmers in the poorer countries to grow tobacco instead of food even when there are food shortages. This can mean less food available for the local community. Tobacco plants take more nutrients from the soil than many other crops and because of this the land is made less fit for growing food. Cutting down Forests Cigarettes are wrapped in paper and are sold in packets. They use large amounts of paper and therefore a lot of trees. Cutting down trees is one of the biggest threats to our environment. Tree roots bind the soil together. The leaves draw moisture into the air. When the trees are cut down, rainfall is reduced and erosion of the soil is increased. This can leave a bare landscape where nothing useful can be grown. Land which might have been used for food crops may be useless. This essay is only for research purposes. If used, be sure to cite it properly! |
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