These problems include cough and phlegm production, an increase in the number and severity of respiratory illnesses, decreased physical fitness, an unfavorable lipid profile and potential retardation in the rate of lung growth and the level of maximum lung function. An estimated 440,000 Americans die each year from diseases caused by smoking. These illnesses include Lung Cancer, bronchitis, heart diseases, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), and emphysema. As well as, of course, second hand smoking that presents the threat of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Many experts will also tell you second hand smoking is more dangerous than first hand, because of the unfiltered smoke containing 50 more cancerous substances than filtered cigarette smoke.
One of the most problematic health issues in our country is smoking.. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in America, due to its harmful contents. Although thousands of people die from it each year, it is one of the single, most preventable deaths. If tobacco production were made illegal, an enormous amount of lives would be saved. Currently in our country one in five deaths are caused by a smoking related disease (Tobacco).
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease also called COPD is a progressive life threatening lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. It is caused by chronic bronchitis or emphysema. Damage to your airways eventually interferes with the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your lungs. It is considered a progressive disease because it worsens over time. More than 12 million people are infected in the U.S., while another 12 million people are believed to have the disease but remain undiagnosed.
Then there's the most known "side-effect" oral cancer. Using chew tobacco has a direct effect on oral health. Cancers that distress the lips, gums, cheeks, or palate are quite frequent ("Smokeless"). Developing heart disease as a result of smokeless tobacco is not as familiar to folks as oral cancer. The user is at a greater risk of heart problems when using snuff.
Thompson Jr. states, “Secondhand smoke is defined as the combination of the smoke emitted by the lit tobacco at the end of a cigarette or cigar…called side-stream smoke.” Research has found that secondhand smoke is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths every year in non-smokers. Side-stream smoke is also included 3,400 lung cancer deaths and almost 46,000 heart disease deaths and maybe even a role in the development of breast cancer. However, children are the most vulnerable victims to secondhand smoke, said Thompson Jr. “About 35 percent of kids in the United States-some 21 million children- live in homes where they are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.” I am included in this statistic as my mom is a smoker who is trying her hardest to stop. I suffer from many upper-respiratory problems from a reaction to smoke inhaled from
The American Cancer Society states that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women. Cigarette smoking is directly responsible for 87% of lung cancer cases in the United States annually. Secondhand smoke, which is the inhalation of smoke from another’s smoking, is a cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers (“Lung Cancer and Smoking Cigarettes”). According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 3,000 adults that do not smoke will die each year from lung cancer due to breathing in secondhand smoke. Smoking cigarettes is by far the main contributor to lung cancer.
Before I talk about the direct policy on smoking, I thought I would share some facts about tobacco. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among both men and women in the United States. Smoking-related deaths/health issues effect an estimated four hundred and thirty eight thousand American lives each year. Ninety percent of lung cancer deaths among men and eighty percent of lung cancer deaths among women are attributed to smoking. People who smoke are up to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack than nonsmokers, and the risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked.
Call to Action This catastrophe needs to be addressed now because as you read this, people are dying from multiple types of cancer, blindness, bladder cancer, cancer of the esophagus, cancer of the kidneys, cancer of the pancreas, and cervical cancer. 5.4 million deaths are caused a year because of nicotine; because of tobacco. Every pack of cigarettes has a warning, that it can be harmful to your health. If you can smoke, you are very capable to read. Then why are you still smoking?
These percentages are extremely high and it almost seems as if people are happy with paying towards their own deaths. Many people don’t realize how serious the effects of smoking actually are, it not only affects the smoker, but the people around the smoker by secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke. Exposure to secondhand smoke does cause cancer as nonsmokers inhale the smoke. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP), the U.S. Surgeon General, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have classified secondhand smoke as a known “human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent)”.
Smoking is the largest cause of preventable death in the world and 90% of lung cancer patients developed lung cancer because of smoking. There are around 400 chemicals inside a cigarette and a large amount of it is toxic to your body. A few examples of chemicals are benzene (found in crude oil), Acetone (An ingredient in nail polish), turpentine (paint thinner) and nicotine, a highly addictive drug. Smoking contributes to your risk of coronary heart disease. This disease increases your likelihood or having a heart attack.