According to the World Health Organization (WHO), smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in developed countries and the leading factor in years of life lost and/or years lived with disability. More than 5,000 chemicals have been identified in tobacco smoke, and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke from smoking.
The cigarette contains more than 5,000 harmful chemicals, such as cadmium from batteries, butane from lighter fluid, methane from sewage gas and arsenic from poison. They also contain toilet cleaner ammonia, rocket fuel methanol, barbecue lighter hexamine and candle wax stearic acid.
The components of the cigarette can produce a large number of disorders capable of generating cancerous and deadly diseases. Some health problems associated with smoking exist, as well as the problem of social dependency and the risks and consequences of exposure.
Skin Changes: Smoker’s skin suffers from premature aging. The skin of the fingers of the hand, also stains by the brown color of the filter of the cigarettes.
Stains and falling teeth: One of the components of tobacco: tar, produces stains and cavities in the teeth. It can also cause problems in the gums that facilitates the fall of the teeth.
Osteoporosis: Smoking increases the risk of osteoporosis (weak bones), which causes bone fractures in older people, particularly women.
Lung emphysema and chronic bronchitis: Cigarette is the most common cause of emphysema. It also causes chronic bronchitis. These diseases decrease the amount of oxygen the body receives because the lungs are unable to fill with fresh air and breathing becomes difficult. Smokers are also more likely to have bronchial asthma.
Sexual impotence: Smoking is one of the most common causes of impotence. Smoking one pack per day increases the risk of impotence by 60%.
Problems during pregnancy: If a woman smokes during pregnancy, she is more likely to have preterm labor and miscarriage.
Fertility problems: Smoking women are less likely to become pregnant.
Gastric and duodenal ulcers: Due to the effect of nicotine, which makes digestion more difficult and causes greater acidity after eating, smokers are more susceptible to gastric and duodenal ulcers.
Stroke: Also called a stroke, it occurs when there is an alteration in the normal flow of blood in the brain, which can appear because a clot obstructs one of the vital blood vessels of this organ. Cigarette poisons cause this type of condition by blocking the arteries.
Heart attack: A person who smokes has more than twice the chance of getting a myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Cancer of the lung, mouth, esophagus, larynx, and stomach: Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. It can also cause other types of cancer: cancer of the mouth, larynx, esophagus and stomach. It is also associated with cancer of the bladder, uterus, pancreas and kidney.
Does smoking affect those around the smoker?
Smoking affects not only your own health, but also the health of those around you. Your cigarette smoke seriously harms nonsmokers.
Harm caused by smoking at home
- Children who live in smoking environments are more likely to get bronchitis, otitis, and colds.
- Children with asthma who are exposed to cigarette smoke have more frequent asthma attacks.
- Family members who live with the smoker have an increased risk of cancer and heart disease.
- Babies breastfed by mothers who smoke may experience restlessness, insomnia, vomiting, diarrhea, weak sucking, and weakness.
- Sudden infant death” occurs most often in smokers’ homes. Sudden infant death in the first few months of life is called sudden infant death.
- Environmental cigarette smoke increases the risk of lung cancer.
There are 6,000 deaths annually from second-hand tobacco smoke.
More than 100 reasons to quit tobacco
The WHO warns that the benefits of quitting tobacco are almost immediate. Within 20 minutes of quitting, your heart rate drops. Within the next 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels in the blood return to normal.
From 2 to 12 weeks, circulation improves and lung function increases. From 1 to 9 months, cough and shortness of breath decrease. In one year, the risk of coronary heart disease is reduced by 50% compared to a smoker. Between five and 15 years, the risk of stroke is the same as that of a non-smoker. In 10 years, the risk of lung cancer is reduced to half that of a smoker. After 15 years, the risk of coronary heart disease is the same as that of a non-smoker.
There are other immediate changes that you will notice right away. Food will taste better, your breath, hair and clothes will smell better, and your teeth and nails will go from yellow to white. It won’t be easy, but the benefits are immense. You’ll look and feel much better.
