Why Smoking Cigars Is Bad - Essay Example

Why Smoking Cigars is bad Introduction Cigar smoking belongs to Native Americans and was discovered by early European settlers and Christopher Columbus. As a primitive cigar a long, thick bundle of twisted tobacco leaves wrapped in a dried palm or maize leaf was used by Native Americans. The origins of the smoking of cigars comes from the artifacts of the Mayas from the Yucatan region of Mexico, and the Spanish noun 'cigaroo' came from the verb 'sikar' which means to smoke. Although tobacco was also smoked as cigars at this time among the early English colonists of the 1600's, tobacco was used predominantly in the form of smokeless tobacco or smoked in pipes. It has been observed and so suggested that the documents from the 17th century showed evidences that during the Colonial period the cigars were imported from the West Indies and Cuba. The first factory cigar in United States was established in 1810 in Connecticut. As the use of cigars gained popularity its manufacturing spread to other parts of the country. By the 1880s and the 1900s, cigars counted for the main form of the tobacco use, of which most of which was grown and distributed locally. By the beginning of the 19th century, of the tobacco used by adults, the amount used in form of cigars was approximately two to seven and a half pound per adult in U.S. (USDA 1997, Burns et al 1997). However during the World War I as the use of cigarettes gained popularity the use of tobacco form cigars declined. The tobacco used in cigars is substantially forming the one used in the manufacture of cigarettes. The form of tobacco used in the cigar filler, wrappers and binder is actually air-cured rather than flue-cured the one used in the cigarettes. Moreover the cigar tobacco is then aged and introduced to a several step fermentation process which allows it to be useable for a long period and also determines the aroma and flavor aspects of a particular type of a cigar. The cigars marketed in the use that are considered to be smaller ones usually have straighter bodies, weighing between 1.3 to 2.5 grams, whereas larger ones are usually of lengths 110 to 115 millimeters longer and of the diameter of about 17 millimeters and usually filled with 5 to 17 grams if cigars. On the other hand most brands of the cigarettes contain about one gram of tobacco and usually are of 85mm in length. (Burns, p. 1-20) I believe cigar smoking is bad for following three reasons: 1. Risk of Diseases The form of smoke that comes from both the cigarettes and cigars is the outcome of the incomplete combustion of tobacco, thus it can surely be said the smoke of cigar has the similar hazardous affects as to that of cigarettes, thus it also comprises of the carcinogenic constituents and toxic gases. As just discussed that per piece cigar contains a larger amount of tobacco than the cigarette therefore it takes more time to smoke a whole cigar thus creating more smoke. Moreover, the carbon monoxide burned per unit is more due to the lower porosity of the cigar wrappers. And as the content of cigars is concentrated in nitrate therefore it leads to larger concentrations of ammonia, nitrogen oxides and carcinogenic N-nitrosamines. The tar of the cigar smoke, when introduced to the animals, proved to be more carcinogenic than that of the cigarettes. In additions there is very little evidence from the premium manufacturers of cigars that suggest that cigars lead to less hazardous than cigarettes. It is however clear that if not more cigar smoke is as equally carcinogenic and toxic to that of the cigarettes and the disease risks are highly subjective depending upon the trend of its use and differences in inhalation of smoke and retention and deposition of cigar and cigarette smoke in comparison to differences in frequency of use and composition of smoke. (Davies and Day, p. 363-8) In the cases when the cigar smokers who haven't ever used any other tobacco products are compared to he the individual who haven't used any form of product, by contrast the result show that clearly a significant excess of diseases that can be due to the pattern of inhalation and the frequency of cigar use. Usually the cancers caused are due to the increased rates among the regular cigar smokers. Specifically the cigar smokers who either smoke several cigars per day or either inhale to deeply are observed to have higher rates of coronary heart diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Figure 1 shows death ratios (ratio of the casualty rate in smokers in comparison to never smokers) among male cigar and cigarette smokers for some of the diseases associated with cigarette smoking. The proportions presented are for smokers of all numbers of cigarettes or cigars combined. The death data were taken from the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study I (CPS I) which is a twelve year follow up of over one million men and women (Garfinkel 1985). Provided by the American Cancer Society and describe comparative hazards for those who have smoked completely cigars and those who have smoked utterly cigarettes, with each group compared to the one who have never smoked any tobacco product at all. Figure 1; Showing Mortality Ratio for tobacco induced diseases among the male Cigar and Cigarette smokers compared with never smokers Figure 1: Adopted from (Shopland, p. 9) 2. Harmful for All Cigar smoking is being harmful for all as follows: For Women Approximately all of the data above is based on the observation on men, however it is reasonable to assume that similar patters would pursue in women depending upon the proportional to intensity and duration and frequency of smoking. In most of the European countries, where the women, for many years have smoked cigars, it appears as if the men and women have had analogous risks of smoking related diseases. However it has been observed that due to smoking in women, the maternal and fetal complications of pregnancy have increased (USDHHS 1990) and these have been probably due to the short periods of smoking during pregnancy. The data found on the risks of smoking cigar during pregnancy are not sufficient to analyze the actual results; however it is not desirable to expect that cigar smoking wouldn't be any less harmful for the pregnant mothers or the fetus. For the pregnant smokers, regularity of cigar smoking with deep inhalation can be highly hazardous similarly for the cigarette smokers. For Adults The trend of cigar use also sheds light on the addictive nature of cigar smoking in contrast with other forms of tobacco at least for adults. The proportion of adult cigar smokers who smoke cigars daily is much lesser than the proportion of cigarette or smokeless tobacco being used daily. This proposes that smoking of cigars in adults, while almost certainly able to root habit to nicotine, is less probable to do so than cigarette smoking or smokeless tobacco use. Statistics from California suggest that there has been recent change in the patterns of cigar use which is largely an increase in sporadic use and also that that the capacities of cigars tend to be lesser than to that of the cigarettes. (Mariolis & Rock, p. 1145-9) For Adolescents The rising statistics of cigar smoking among adolescents has become a point to ponder. Actual current data is not much available and only some older one is available. This is so as cigar smoking was taken for granted as an uncommon trend especially among adolescents and never considered as a topic of extensive research. Though, a number of recent studies have revealed very unexpected results and a fair degree of rising trend is found among both male and female adolescents. However, this gender discrimination is quite diminutive as compared with that among adults. The process of nicotine addiction takes place just about entirely all through young adulthood and adolescence. Previous to the current rise in cigar smoking, the age of starting cigar was supposed to be quite older than that of cigarette smoking and may be this gap in starting age is the also a cause of lesser prospective of cigar addiction which is quite apparent in the rising routine and occasional use of cigars in grownups. Table 1 is demonstrating tobacco use among adolescents in Massachusetts till 1996. . (Brooks and Frank, p. 640-50) Table 1: Adopted from (Shopland, p.14) 3. Addiction of Nicotine Nicotine is delivered to the smokers through cigar smoking in concentrated form which may be compared with smokeless tobacco or cigarettes. Conversely, the smoke of cigar has the alkaline pH, and the cigar's inclination for smokers not to breathe in, which may cause absorption of nicotine largely transversely the oral mucosa somewhat than lungs. Such absorption path directs towards sluggish increase and lesser crowning of the arterial intensity of nicotine released to the brain contrasted to the immersion which transpires crossways the alveolar- capillary lung surface among cigarette smokers. The briskness of this immersion and rising tendency arterial nicotine stages are significant factors for prospective nicotine intake directing to obsession. Though, nicotine riveted crossways the oral mucosa is competent for developing a commanding dependence which is shown among a great part of population who is used to of smokeless tobacco. (USDHHS, 1988 n.p) Theory that finds Cigars Less Harmful Some of the smokers opt for cigars and pipes with a belief that these are less harmful as the smokers do not inhale the nicotine directly but after above discussion and review of statistics I absolutely disagree with this theory, Studies have proved that even with the fact that cigar smokers do not inhale but when compared with non smokers they have the risk of lung cancer thrice more and those who inhale have the same risk eleven times more. As the cigars contain more quantity of tobacco which keeps on burning for longer durations, these smokers are more at risk of different types of cancer like smokers have risk of mouth , esophagus, lip, throat, tongue, pancreas and bladder. (Gordon & Eric, p.383) Cigar Smoking Cessation There are a number of ways how smoking cessation takes place; the following table 2 shows how these practices are helpful. Table 2: Adopted from (Chockalingam & Schmidt, 1992) Conclusion Cigar smoking is evidently at a rising trend in United States. Non smokers adults are turning into occasional smokers and occasional ones are switching over to routine smoking. He same rising trend has been revealed among the adolescent as well with no discrimination of gender. This situation is may be because of the lack of awareness as a number of cigar smokers believe in cigars as less harmful for not being inhaled. While the above discussion has proved that there are certain potential health risks for them. Though a number of cessation techniques have been presented by various experts but the primary role is played by self determination. Works Cited Brooks, Ashley, & Scott, Frank. 'Cigars, Cigarettes, and Adolescents', American Journal of Health Behavior, Star City, Nov/Dec 2008, Vol. 32, Issue. 6; pg. 640, 10 pgs Burns, David M. 'Cigar Smoking: Overview and Current State of the Science' Health Effects and Trends, May 1998, P. 1-20, Health and Human Services Department (HHS) National Cancer Institute (NCI) Chockalingam V, Schmidt F L, 'A Meta-Analysis Comparison of the Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation Methods'. Journal of Applied Psychology 77(4):554-561 Davies, R F & Day, T D. 'A Study of the Comparative Carcinogenicity of Cigarette and Cigar Smoke Condensate on Mouse Skin, 1969, British Journal of Cancer 23:363-8 Gordon Edlin, Eric Golanty. Health and Wellness, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2006 ISBN 0763741450, 9780763741457, p. 383 Mariolis, P., & Rock, V J. 'Tobacco Use among Adults - United States', Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), Atlanta, October 27, 2006, Vol. 55, Issue. 42; pg. 1145, 4 pgs Shopland, Donald. Cigars: Health Effects and Trends, DIANE Publishing, 1998. ISBN 0788173014, 9780788173011 USDHHS -'The Health Consequences of Smoking: Nicotine Addiction': A Report of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, Office on Smoking and Health. (DHHS publication # [CDC] 88-8406), Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1988 USDHHS-'The Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation'. US Dept of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, Office on Smoking and Health. DHHS Publication No (CDC) 90-8416.1990 Read More