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Tobacco and Cigarette Smoking

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One person dies every six seconds due to a tobacco related disease, which results in a shocking amount of ten deaths per minute. Tobacco is one of the most heavily used addictive products in the United States. Tobacco contains over 4,000 chemicals; approximately 250 are dangerously harmful to humans. Smoking is a major public health problem. All smokers face an increased risk of lung cancer, cardiovascular problems and many other disorders. Smoking should be banned due to the many health risks to the user, second hand related smoke illness, and excessive cost. Cigarette makers know that nicotine addiction helps sell their products. Nicotine is the main ingredient in tobacco that causes addiction. Nicotine activates the parts of …show more content…

Tar causes lung cancer, emphysema, and bronchial diseases, and carbon monoxide causes heart problems. ("Tobacco | NIDA for Teens") The tobacco leaves used in making cigarettes contain radioactive material, predominantly lead-210 and polonium-210. Research indicates that lead-210 and polonium-210 are present in tobacco smoke as it passes into the lung. The smoke impacts the branches of the lung passages, called bronchioles. Tar from tobacco smoke builds up, and traps lead-210 and polonium-210 against the sensitive tissues of the bronchioles. ("Tobacco Smoke | Radiation Protection | US EPA") Since 1964, 2.5 million nonsmokers have died from exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is a mixture of two forms of smoking that come from burning tobacco. Side stream smoke is the smoke from the lighted end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar. The second type of smoke is mainstream smoke which is the smoke exhaled by the smoker. Side stream smoke contains higher concentrations of cancer causing agents and is more toxic than mainstream smoke. (“Secondhand Smoke” Cancer.org 02 Nov.2014 Web.09 April 2014) In adults, second-hand smoke causes serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and lung cancer. In infants second hand smoke can cause sudden death. ("WHO | 10 facts on second-hand smoke") Parental smoking has been shown to affect the lungs of infants as early as the first 2 - 10 weeks of life. The dangerous particles in secondhand smoke can

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