Effects of Smoking

According to the American Lung Association, there are an estimated 50 million people who smoke. For some reason people just do not fully understand the risks they take by smoking. Cigarette smoking is a frequent cause for many health problems with smokers. To begin with, there are many hazardous ingredients in cigarette tobacco. Some of the ingredients are poisonous or addictive. Cigarette smoke produces thousands of chemicals that are hazardous to a smoker's health. There are over 4000 chemicals produced by a burning cigarette. At least 200 chemicals are known to be poisonous to a persons health. Though filters help block some of the chemicals, they will not stop them completely. Nicotine is an addictive drug and also one of the most dangerous ingredients in cigarette tobacco. Cigarette smokers are addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes just like a junkie is addicted to heroin or cocaine. When a person smokes a cigarette the body reacts immediately to the chemical nicotine. Nicotine begins to effect a smoker's blood pressure, the flow of blood from their heart, the heart beat and breathing rate. Cigarette smoke also contains carbon monoxide, the same poisonous gases released from a car exhaust pipe. Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless, highly toxic gas that reduces the amount of oxygen that the blood can carry. Combined with the effects produced by the nicotine, it creates an imbalance in the demand for oxygen by the cells and the amount of oxygen the blood is able to supply. Tar is another chemical produced from cigarette smoke. Tar contains at least 30 cancer causing irritants. Tar is a mixture of several substances that condense into a sticky substance on the lung. Tobacco manufactures have produced a cigarette that is low tar and low nicotine to reduce the chance of cancer, but these cigarettes are still hazardous. There are many deadly diseases related to smoking