Smoking a Cause of Preventable Death

What’s more important- this cigarette or seeing my grandchildren?

Could this next cigarette be the one that gives me cancer?

Smoking is the major cause of premature and preventable deaths in developed and developing countries. Tobacco smoke contains thousands of different chemicals out of which 70 are carcinogens that cause cancer. Life span is at least 10 years less for smokers contrasted to non-smokers. If you leave smoking before the age of 40 it reduces the risk of dying from smoking-related disease by about 90%.

Smoking is not good for health

Is smoking injurious to your health?

According to several studies, tobacco smoking is a cause of various devastating diseases including Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), Chronic obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), cancer of different body parts, and decrease reproductive health so which is injurious to health.

Roughly an estimated, 480,000 people die every year due to smoking-related diseases. According to health experts, there is a close relationship between smoking and lung cancer.

Why do people start smoking?

There are several reasons, why people start smoking.

Parents' influence: 

Parents' relationships affect a growing child a lot. If a mother or father is a smoker, their teenage child is more likely to be a smoker.

Social media:

Research shows that this is a highly successful method that plays a negative role in youth smoking. Tobacco use is shown on YouTube and Facebook in video games, movies, dramas, and on TV.

Stress factor: 

Many people start smoking to overcome emotions, negative moods, sadness, and stress. Many smokers say that smoking gives them a good feel. This is a major risk factor for cigarette smoking.

Nicotine: 

This is also one of the causes of smoking. It’s a highly addictive drug. About 80 to 90% of people who smoke on regular basis are addicted to nicotine.

Try new things: 

Most teenagers love to try new things. When they see everyone smoking, they also want to try but they are not aware of the long-term consequences. E-cigarettes and high-technology, fashionable electronic vaping devices attract the youngster to smoke.

Friends influence: 

Friends' company matters a lot. Sometimes, friends encourage them to try a cigarette and keep smoking. Moreover, the younger you're once you start smoking, the higher the chance of being habituated to nicotine.

Why it’s hard to quit smoking?

Nicotine is not carcinogenic but it’s a chemical that keeps you smoking. It's a highly addictive drug in tobacco smoke. After inhalation of nicotine, it is quickly distributed in the blood, from the blood it crosses the blood-brain barrier and enters the brain within 10 to 20 secs after inhalation. Inside the brain, nicotine triggers the areas that produce chemical neurotransmitters like dopamine that feel good. And when a person decided to get rid of smoking, nicotine level becomes less and because of this dopamine production also decreases which causes dysphoria (a state of depression, sadness, discomfort, and anxiety)

 

Tobacco

Tobacco is made from drying leaves of the tobacco plant. It contains an addictive drug called nicotine. Apart from this, tobacco also contains potential many other harmful chemicals. To make smoking more pleasant some flavor ingredients are added to it. when you use tobacco in different cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookahs, and E-Cigarettes you absorb harmful and toxic chemicals that affect your body from head to toe.

Types of smoked tobacco products

There is no safe use of tobacco. Here there is a list of products that use tobacco.

1. Bidis

2. Cigarettes

3.  Cigars, Cigarillos, and Little Cigars

4. Dip-smokeless tobacco

5. Electronic cigarette or E-cigarette (nicotine delivery system)

6. Hookah

7. Kreteks- clove cigarettes

8. Pipe

9. Smokeless Tobacco

Chemicals found in tobacco smoke

We have listed a few compounds found in tobacco and cigarette smoke but, the most abundant ones, are tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide. Here are some bodily effects caused by these chemicals

Acetaldehyde is also classified as a carcinogenic chemical. It increases the absorption of more toxic substances into bronchial tubes. This makes smokers depend on smoking by increasing the effect of nicotine present in tobacco.

Acrolein, affect the upper respiratory tract, air passageway, and eyes, it damages the DNA and inhibits the DNA repair mechanism so has the potential to cause lung cancer.

Lead is responsible for elevating cardiovascular diseases. The risk of cardiovascular mortality is double in male cigarette smokers as compared to nonsmokers

Nicotine is an addictive drug. It increases blood pressure, heart rate, narrowing of arteries, hardening of arterial walls, and eventually a heart attack.

Tar, consists of carcinogenic chemicals.  After inhaling tobacco smoke 70% of tar remains in the lung. Tars form a sticky layer inside the lungs and cause emphysema and lung cancer.

 

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas with no smell or taste. It affects the heart and muscle functioning. It also causes fatigue, and dizziness and affects the lungs and heart.

Benzene causes many cancers and high blood pressure. Short exposure to benzene affects the central nervous system and is also responsible for irregular heart rates.

Ammonia is one of the causes of high blood pressure and asthma. It also increases the rate of nicotine absorption and smokers become more addicted.

1,3-butadiene is a carcinogen. Prolonged usage of this causes cancer of the blood, blood-forming tissues, (leukemia, lymphoma) lymph nodes.

Phenol, affect different organ systems like CNS, respiratory system, and cardiovascular system and is harmful to the kidney and liver.

Cadmium damages different body organs like the brain, kidneys, and liver. It also causes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Acetone, this chemical affects the eye, nose, and throat. Long-term usage of this chemical effect the kidneys and liver

Hydrogen Cyanide, periodic exposure to this chemical cause skin and eye, headache, vomiting, and nausea.  

Catechol is one of the causes of dermatitis. It causes problems related to the upper respiratory tract.

Chromium causes oral and epidermal allergic contact dermatitis as well as pulmonary sensitization.

Cresol damages the liver and kidneys. It’s highly corrosive and a high level of cresol cause skin and internal burns.

Crotonaldehyde is major constitutes of tobacco smoke. It can cause chromosomal changes and also affect the immune system.

Butyraldehyde is a powerful irritant that damages the lining of the nose and lungs.

Nickel affects the upper respiratory tract and also causes asthma.

Propionaldehyde is harmful to the skin and eye and irritates the respiratory system.

Radioactive elements, such as polonium-210, are responsible for causing lung cancer.

Acrylonitrile is also a human carcinogen.

How does smoking affect your body?

Smoking affects your body from head to toe. Tobacco smoke not only contains nicotine which is highly addictive rather it contains thousands of cancer-causing (carcinogen chemicals). It also affects your life expectancy. This is one of the causes of preventable deaths in the United State.

Brain: Tobacco smoking has toxic chemicals that enter the brain and damage different areas of the brain and cause death. According to research smokers have a risk of stroke 2 to 4 times as compared nonsmokers.

Heart: Smoking develops a lot of cardiovascular diseases. It reduces blood flow to the heart, damages blood vessels, increases heart rate, and blood pressure, and lastly heart attack. A person who smokes 5 or few cigarettes per day may cause early symptoms of cardiovascular disease.

Bones: According to the national institute of health (NIH) smoking affects bone density and makes bone weak and brittle. The risk of developing osteoporosis in a female smoker is more than in a male smoker. Hip fractures, spine, and degenerative disc disease all are linked to smoking.

Immune system: Smoked people are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Smoking  increase the risk for many immune and autoimmune disorders (a condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the normal body cells)

Reproductive system: Smoking harms the reproductive system and fertility. It also damages the DNA of sperms. Smokers have a low sperm count as compared to nonsmokers. Female smokers tend to enter menopause earlier than a non smokers. According to a study conducted in 2020, 22.3% of the global population used tobacco 36.7% of all men and 7.8% of the world's women.

Problems with pregnancy and newborn babies: Mothers who inhale secondhand smoking during pregnancy are more likely to have a premature birth, miscarriage, and low birth weight.

Babies born with infected lungs, ear infections, growth problems, and physical deformities SIDS ( sudden infant deaths syndrome).

Skin: smoking reduces the amount of oxygen reaching the skin, speeds up the aging process, and makes skin dull or gray. Facial wrinkles appear around the lips. Dry skin and uneven skin color are one of the causes of smoking. It's also responsible for skin infection by reducing the quick healing of wounds.

Poor Vision: Studies shows that smoking also causes vision problem, like cataract, glaucoma, and macular and dry eye syndrome.

Loss of appetite: Nicotine decreases taste and smell in smokers which reduce appetite in smokers.

Persistent cough: As we know tobacco smoke contains many chemicals. These chemicals after inhaling damage air passageways, lungs, alveoli, and air sacs. Cough is caused by the body clearing out chemicals that inhale during smoking. If the cough remains persistent lasting for more than 3 weeks, it's known as smoker cough.

Yellowing of fingers: Having a dark yellow color on fingertips is the major indication of a heavy smoker. This is because of nicotine which is present in tobacco, and this is also known as nicotine stains.

Lung cancer: According to the American Cancer Society,  smoking is the main cause of 30% of cancer deaths in us, and 80% of all lung cancer deaths. lung cancer is the main leading cause of death in both men and women. It also causes many lung diseases like COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Cancer of different body organs:

Tobacco smoke has a greater risk factor for the following cancers.

1.    Mouth

2.    pharynx

3.    throat

4.    larynx or voice box

5.    Kidney

6.    colon

7.    Stomach

8.    Colon

9.    Bladder

        10.  Pancreas

        11. Lungs   

Say no to smoking

5 Reasons to quit smoking beyond health hazard effect

75% to 80% of smokers say they want to quit. But every smoker successfully quit it after 5 to 10 attempts.

1.    Of course, after leaving smoking risk of disease like lung cancer heart disease kidney disease, throat cancer emphysema high blood pressure becomes decrease.

   Your friends and family remain to save from second-hand smoking which causes several complications in pregnant women and children. second-hand smoke causes emphysema and tuberculosis in children.in adults second-hand smoking cause lung and heart disease.

   Indeed, smoking is the burning of blood and money. You just waste your money burning the blood with cigarette smoke. So, save money and health.

    Society dislikes smokers because of their smelly hair, yellow teeth, and dull skin.

5.    Quitting smoking improves your life quality. It Reduces the risk of premature deaths and you can survive 10 more years.

How can I quit smoking?

·      Make yourself busy.

·       Do exercise on daily basis.

·       Take a healthy diet.

·       When you feel a craving just ignore and take a long breath, hold it for 10 sec and release it slowly.

·       Engage yourself in puzzle solving, and book reading.

·       Hang out with nonsmokers, and go to sites that are smoke-free zone.

·       Drink plenty of water, and avoid alcohol.

·       Consult your health care provider for nicotine replacement therapy.