This paper examines the wide-ranging health consequences of cigarette smoking, drawing on data from the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other sources. It covers the toxic chemical composition of cigarette tobacco, the elevated risks of coronary heart disease, lung cancer, emphysema, and stroke faced by smokers, and the physiological mechanisms behind these conditions. The paper also addresses the addictive nature of nicotine, noting that even light or occasional smoking among teenagers can trigger dependency. Both long-term, life-threatening effects and near-immediate consequences — such as skin damage, bad breath, and increased susceptibility to respiratory illness — are discussed.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) reports that one in five deaths in the United States is the result of tobacco use. The Surgeon General issued a statement in 1982 that remains true decades later: cigarette smoking is the major single cause of cancer mortality in the United States (Leo Rosen, 2011). The effects of cigarette smoking can be deadly, and perhaps surprisingly, less than half the deaths associated with smoking are cancer-related. Emphysema, heart disease, and stroke are among the fatal consequences of smoking. The effects of cigarette smoking can also be seen in diseases that are not immediately life-threatening, such as asthma and peripheral vascular disease (PVD), but they nevertheless bring a great deal of suffering and cost billions of dollars each year to treat.
There are more deaths associated with smoking than from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined ("Centers for Disease," 2012). Smokers, compared to non-smokers, have at least double the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Men who smoke are twenty-three times more likely to develop lung cancer; women who smoke are thirteen times more likely than their non-smoking peers. Smokers of both genders are twelve to thirteen times more likely to die from chronic obstructive lung diseases.
Cigarette tobacco contains chemicals such as nicotine, formaldehyde, ammonia, and cyanide that are poisonous to the body in high enough doses. The effects of ingesting these poisons can happen slowly, although first-time smokers may feel ill as the body enters defense mode in reaction to these substances. It is not unusual for first-time smokers to feel pain or burning in the throat and lungs. Some people even feel sick or vomit the first few times they try tobacco (Hirsch). It is the body's way of coping — when something makes a person sick, it is a warning signal that the substance is dangerous and should be avoided.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that coronary heart disease is currently the leading cause of death in the United States. This disease can be one of the most common, and deadliest, effects of smoking. The mixture of carbon monoxide and nicotine temporarily increases heart rate and blood pressure. Carbon monoxide robs the muscles, brain, and body tissue of oxygen, forcing all systems in the body — especially the heart — to work harder. Fat deposits can narrow and ultimately block blood vessels. When a person develops coronary heart disease, the arteries narrow, placing great stress on the aorta — the main artery of the body — and can result in problems in the limbs ranging from pain to tissue loss or gangrene. Some smokers eventually require limb amputation (Johnson).
"Cancer, emphysema, and tar accumulation in lungs"
"Oxygen deprivation, injury risk, and collagen loss"
"Nicotine dependency, even with light smoking"
There are many negative effects of smoking, some of which can be seen in the first weeks of taking up the habit. Other effects may take years to manifest, but can result in disease and death. Health organizations advise people, especially teenagers, not to start smoking. Smokers are encouraged to quit. The effects of cigarette smoking are dangerous.
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