Hazards of Smoking

Smoking refers to the practice of inhaling smoke from the burning tobacco in a pipe, cigar, or most commonly, a cigarette. Smokers feel relaxation because tobacco contains nicotine that is very addictive to a person who smokes. Smoking causes numerous hazards, which include: cancers, second hand smoke problems, and problems in pregnancy.

Cancers of the lung, breast, prostate and colon and rectum have become more frequent in countries with risk factors such as cigarette smoking. (Trichopoulos, Li, and Hunter 1). More than half of the cancer deaths in the United States can be attributed to tobacco smoke. Smoking causes 30 percent of cancer deaths in the U.S. (Trichopoulos, Li, and Hunter 5). Smoking mainly of cigarettes causes cancer of the lung, upper respiratory tract, esophagus, bladder and pancreas and probably of stomach, liver and kidney (Trichopoulos, Li, and Hunter 5). Smoking is linked in leukemia and may also cause cancer of the colon and rectum and other organs (Trichopoulos, Li, and Hunter 5).

Second hand smoke or passive smoking, the inhaling of tobacco smoke in the environment, causes much less lung cancer than active smoking does. Second hand smoke attributes to a few thousand deaths each year. Passive smoking is as much a killer as general outdoor air pollution or household exposure to the radio active gas radon (Trichopoulos, Li, and Hunter 5). Two noted cardiology researchers, Dr. Stanton Glantz and Dr. William Parmly, have done a considerable amount of research on the effects of second hand smoke on the heart (Henahan 1). The data demonstrates the ill effects second hand smoke must be a problem because private companies are moving to satisfy the antismoking mood (Farley 2). Many public places are converting to non-smoking areas. An estimated one-third of the nation s 1,800 enclosed shopping malls are expected to forbid smoking by the end of this year (Farley 2).

If you re smoking, you re smoking for two, and your baby may develop asthma (Charbonneau 1). The Asthma will get worse when exposed to more tobacco researchers say (Charbonneau 1). Gilliland said that after research it was found that exposure during the in utero period was very important for subsequent development of asthma as well as the severity of asthma later on (Charbonneau 2). It also causes smaller lungs in the baby according to Gilliland (Charbonneau 2). Smoking during pregnancy even in moderate amounts can increase the odds of miscarriage by 80% (Horowitz 2).

The smoking of tobacco in many forms has been proven to be hazardous to your health through clinical and laboratory research. It has been seen to be detrimental to causing cancers, second hand smoke problems and problems in pregnancy.

Works Cited

Charbonnea, Nicolle. Moms Smoking May Lead to Baby s Asthma. Health

Scout 15 Feb. 2001. 4 Apr. 2001 .

Farley, Christopher John. The Butt Stops Here Threatening to snuff out

smoking for good, the crusade against tobacco shifts into higher gear.

Time Domestic 18 Apr. 1994. 4 Apr. 2001 .

Henahan, Sean. How Passive Smoking Causes Heart Disease. Science

Update 5 Apr. 1995. 4 Apr. 2001 .

Horowitz, Janice M. Another Reason to Quit. Time Magazine 2 Feb. 1999.

4 Apr. 2001 .

Trichopoulos, Dimitrios, Frederick P. Li, and David J. Hunter. What Causes

Cancer?. Scientific American 9 Sep. 1996. 4 Apr. 2001.

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