Dangers of Smoking - Are You Truly Aware?
The dangers of smoking is now a known fact amongst persons of all ages. You will see countless images of blackened lungs etc. in school hallways and hospital waiting rooms. This unfortunately does not deter people from starting to smoke despite being fully cognisant of the dangers of smoking. It is perhaps the persistent, perhaps romantic image that smoking portrays, which in fact, has no connection with reality. The use of tobacco can take many forms. It can be chewed, inhaled through the nose, or smoked in the form of cigarettes and cigars. Because smoking is the most popular way to consume tobacco, it has received the most exposure and attention from the media and the medical field. Unfortunately the dangers of smoking have not received this much exposure. No matter how tobacco is taken, it is a fact that it is dangerous. Inhaling a single puff of a cigarette immediately allows the nicotine to pass into the bloodstream due to the large surface area of the lungs. It is not just the “hit” of the nicotine in cigarettes that smokers crave. There are more than 43 different carcinogenic substances and more than 400 other toxins in cigarette smoke - the same kind of toxins that can also be found in nail polish remover, wood varnish and even rat poison. Once accumulated in the body, these substances can cause serious problems to the lungs and heart.
Other smoking-related types of cancer are of the pancreas, mouth, larynx, kidney, stomach, esophagus and urinary bladder. Cancer is not the only disease that is linked to smoking. 75% of all patients who die from emphysema and bronchitis have been heavy smokers.
Smoking, on average, will take off 15 years from your life span. Smokers have shorter lives than non-smokers due to their high exposure rate to the toxic substances found in cigarette smoke. Breathing in second-hand smoke can also be dangerous, so smokers are not only harming themselves. Those nearby and loved ones will also be exposed to the toxic smoke that they exhale. There are all sorts of health problems that are related to the inhalation of second-hand smoke. Children are especially vulnerable to second-hand smoke as their internal organs are still developing. These children are often susceptible to asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections, and tragically to sudden infant death syndrome. Unborn children also suffer from the effects of smoking. Mothers who smoke during pregnancy suffer more from bleeding, nausea and even miscarriages. The babies could also be premature and underweight, suffering often from lifelong health complications due to chest infections and asthma. Sudden infant death syndrome can often be related to mothers who smoke during pregnancy. Even if you have smoked for at least 20 years, it is never too late to give up the habit. You can only benefit from the tremendous difference to your health. The dangers of smoking are too common not to notice and take action against. |
