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The Effects of Smoking on the Body Essay

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The Effects of Smoking on the Body

Almost one third of the World’s population are smokers for one reason or another, appearance, reduce stress etc. However, I, and many others, find it very difficult to believe smoking can aid anyone’s appearance as it encourages early ageing, and I do not believe that any of the risks that smoking has is worth any amount of stress relief that it can provide.

Cigarette smoking can have serious health effects on the human body. Smoking causes a variety of life threatening diseases. This is because they contain more than 4,000 chemicals (www.click2quit.co.uk), including 43 of which cause cancer (www.betterhealthchannel.com.au). Nicotine is a substance in …show more content…

However, the most easily affected area of the body damaged by smoking is the respiratory system. It can cause irritation of the trachea (windpipe) and larynx (voice box) as well as reduced lung function and breathlessness due to swelling and narrowing of the lung airways and excess mucus in the lung passages (Letts Revise Biology The Ultimate Study Guide). These can be caused by many cigarette contents. Tar is the collective term for various particles suspended in tobacco smoke. It contains the carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene that is known to trigger tumour development (cancer). Not only does tar trigger tumour development but it also coats the alveoli with its sticky substance, which slows down the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen. Animal experiments have shown that nitrogen oxides damage the lungs in such a way that they cause the lung disease emphysema. Hydrogen cyanide destroys the cilia lining the bronchial tubes, which reduces the efficiency in getting rid of foreign substances that enter the respiratory system, resulting in the poisonous ingredients of tobacco smoke remaining in the lungs. Ammonia also damages the lungs affecting the ability of the body to breathe,

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