Smoking a cigarette;
an addictive drug that causes harm in many ways. Lung Cancer, and many other
types of cancer. It can also give you heart disease, increase your chances of a
stroke and a lot of other types of chronic diseases. Not only is the smoker
harmed but also the people around the smoker can be harmed. This is called
second - hand smoking. Most exposure to second - hand smoke occurs in homes and
workplaces. Second - hand smoking is as harmful or more harmful than actually
smoking the cigarette. The American Cancer
Society even reports that smoking cigarettes kills more Americans each year
than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, homicide, and illegal drugs combined, while other research has shown that just by
smoking one pack of cigarettes:
A smoker's life is
cut short by two hours
Men lose a total of
4.4 years of their life
Women lose a total
of 2.4 years of their life
To give you an idea
of the types of toxic chemicals released into the air and your lungs when you
smoke or are around someone who does, here's a list from the American Lung
Association of a few chemicals in tobacco smoke, and other places they are
found:
Acetone – found in
nail polish remover
Acetic Acid – an
ingredient in hair dye
Ammonia – a common
household cleaner
Arsenic – used in
rat poison
Benzene – found in
rubber cement
Butane – used in
lighter fluid
Cadmium – active
component in battery acid
Carbon Monoxide –
released in car exhaust fumes
Formaldehyde –
embalming fluid
Hexamine – found in
barbecue lighter fluid
Lead – used in
batteries
Naphthalene – an
ingredient in moth balls
Methanol – a main
component in rocket fuel
Nicotine – used as
insecticide
Tar – material for
paving roads
Toluene - used to
manufacture paint
As you probably
already know, regularly inhaling these chemicals is not a good choice if you
want to stay healthy.
