Understanding The Risks Of Smoking

The risks associated with smoking have only been known to the general public over the last few decades. This is due to one of two reasons, one being the suppression of information by the companies who manufacture cigarettes and the other being through the increase in technology allowing us to ascertain the effect that smoking has on an individual’s health and those around them.

The cigarettes now being manufactured contain a range of different substances other than tobacco which have a devastating effect of health and addiction that occurs with smoking. They can include toxic substances like arsenic, cadmium, lead, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury and lithium. It is the culmination of these substances which have a damaging and long-term effect on a person’s health.

The dangers of smoking have been linked to variety of illnesses and disease. It can cause the skin to age quickly by destroying the collagen in the skin making smokers appear much older. The eyes can also be at a great risk of being damaged. Smoking has been linked to macular degeneration and cataracts. The cardiovascular system can also be affected in various ways resulting in increased risk of developing varicose veins, stokes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and arteriosclerosis, all having been linked to causes of death in many smokers. Smoking can also increase the risk of osteoporosis as it lowers the levels of oestrogen hormones in women’s blood, increasing the risk of bone loss.

The respiratory system can also be damaged, as this is the organ exposed to the largest amounts of inhaled smoke, increasing the risk of developing respiratory tract infections, bronchitis and emphysema. The damage occurring in emphysema and lung cancer cannot be reversed, causing restricted breathing for the remainderof the person’s life. Smoking has also been linked to problems associated with digestion and sexual problems like infertility and impotence; however, it is the strong link to the development of cancer that is causing the greatest harm to smokers. This can be contributed to the fact that smoking lowering a person’s immune system as well as increasing the number of free radicals linked to the formation of cancer.

There are a few substances which can help limit the amount of damage caused to the body. This includes Vitamin E and C, Selenium, grape seed extract and green tea which can act as an antioxidant helping to neutralise harmful free radicals.

These substances will only help to a small degree as smoking needs to cease altogether to halt any damage to the lungs and allow the body a chance to repair some of the damage caused. It is also unfair exposing children to smoke as they cannot choose to avoid it, increasing their risk of developing these diseases.