Types of Smoking and Its Dangers - Essay Example

Smoking dangers Introduction There are different types of smoking that can prove to be harmfulto the health of the smokers and even those constantly inhaling that smoke. There is smoking of cigarette, marijuana and other drugs. According to the statistics by Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the most common and harmful of them all is the smoking of cigarettes which involves inhaling tobacco and nicotine. This essay is going to present some of these smoking dangers and effects to individuals and even the statistics to back up these dangers. According to statistics by World Health Organization (WHO), smoking causes around 5 million deaths each year all over the world. This is a very high figure considering the fact that it can be avoided (Institute of Medicine (U.S), Committee on Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Acute Coronary Events, 24). One of the dangers of smoking is that it leads to lung cancer. Like all other cancers, this is a terminal disease which will make the patient be sick with no cure. Cancer results from the carcinogenic material in the nicotine and tobacco which manufactures the cigarettes. Continual inhalation of the carcinogenic components puts the individual at risk of lung cancer. Statistics presented indicate that lung cancer as a result of smoking kills 90% of men and 80% of the women who are serious chain smokers. Other than the pain the patient will undergo as a result of the incurable disease, a lot of money and other resources are used by the patient and other family members when seeking treatment for the sick individual. In cases where the sick person is the breadwinner, the family has to start selling their property in order to survive since the person is not in any condition to work anymore and especially so when the cancer is really at the advanced stage or is discovered too late (Powers, 45). The other danger is the direct risk of suffering cardiovascular disease. This is so because the cigarette smoke causes narrowing of the arteries. With the reduction of the arteries and other blood vessels which circulate blood in the heart, the heart cannot get enough blood supply required and hence this leads to coronary heart diseases, increased or reduced blood pressure and in some cases even heart attack. The reduction of enough blood circulation can also cause development of peripheral vascular diseases which means the blood vessels and arteries supplying blood to other body parts like legs and arms are obstructed and hence this also causes other different problems related to those body parts. In some cases, the blood vessels also harden as a result of constant smoking and this may lead to blood clots (coronary thrombosis), the clots may occur even in the brain (cerebral thrombosis) which may lead to stroke and even paralysis of the entire body. If the arteries affected are those going to the kidney, then kidney failure may also be likely to take place. The other danger documented of smoking is causing respiratory problems. The most common is the Choric Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which is an umbrella term for the different conditions that block the airway and makes breathing a difficult task. These include diseases like chronic bronchitis which is like to damage the lungs of the smoker due to the continuous coughing for months. The air sacs can also get damaged as a result of smoking leading to a disease called emphysema which brings about breathing difficulties. Individuals with these respiratory diseases have to be put on oxygen since they cannot breathe on their own. This therefore means constant hospitalization or purchasing of the oxygen tanks and mask and ensure the individual has constant watch to ensure the oxygen supply is enough. The respiratory problems also are common in non-smokers who are constantly in the presence of smokers or in poorly ventilated rooms that people are smoking in. The constant and frequent inhalation of the cigarette smoke also damages the lungs and may lead to bronchitis or more serious lung problems to the non-smokers. It is this reason that there are designated smoking areas to avoid the non-smokers falling victims (Hillier, 67). Other than the above mentioned dangers of smoking which are the most common among smokers there are also other dangers though they do not occur to majority of the smokers population. One of these dangers is the other types of cancers a smoker is at risk of acquiring as a result of smoking. These types of cancers are not as common as lung cancer and do not often lead to a lot of deaths but their effects are still severe. They include oral cancer which is cancer of the mouth which may cause sores and even holes to occur in the mouth as a result of constant effects of carcinogenic components in the cigarette. There is also cancer of the larynx, pharynx, kidney, stomach and pancreas among others. Continual smoking also leads o fertility problems. In men, there occurs erectile dysfunction as a result of the blood vessels in the penis reducing or hardening. For women and especially those who are pregnant, smoking leads to low birth weight of the baby, preterm delivery or even spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) can take place, in other situations, there is stillbirth or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) occurs. For postmenopausal women, they experience lower bone density and hence are at higher risk of suffering fractures especially of the hip than those women who do not smoke. Other effects include the danger of developing periodontal disease due to the gums being constantly exposed to the components of the cigarette. Periodontal disease leads to bad breath, swelling of the gums and this may lead to the teeth falling off. There is also acidic taste in the mouth which may cause ulcers. On the other hand, other than the periodontal disease, smokers are at risk of their skins being affected by the smoking, reduction of some vitamins like vitamin A and the blood vessel reduction or hardening problem. The skin develops wrinkles, pales and even dries in some circumstances. This leads the smoker to look sick and even older than they actually are. There are also social implications of the skin problem and the periodontal problem which include the individual socializing less and less to avoid criticisms from others (Juan Antonio Riesco, 477). Conclusion These dangers are more than people can handle and expose themselves to. Smokers or those who wish to start smoking should consider the above dangers to themselves and to others and just quit before it is too late for them or before they are classified among the 5 million who die each year as a result of smoking effects. Work Cited Hillier, Dawn. Communicating Health Risks to the Public: A Global Perspective. California: Gower Publishing Ltd., 2006. Institute of Medicine (U.S), Committee on Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Acute Coronary Events. Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects: Making Sense of the Evidence. Washington DC: National Academies Press, 2010. Juan Antonio Riesco, Miranda. “Nonrespiratory Effects of Smoking.” Archivos de Bronconeumologia, 43.9 (2007): 477-478 Powers, Evelyn. Smoking and Lung Cancer. New York: Nova Science Pub Incorporated, 2008. Read More