Yulianti ~ CAUSE AND EFFECT OF SMOKING

CAUSE AND EFFECT OF SMOKING

We learn and are taught about the dangers of smoking as young children. We hear about it on television, radio and in print. It’s all around us and completely unavoidable. Just about everyone knows someone who has died from a smoking related disease. And not only are smokers putting their own lives at risk, but they are also placing the lives of those around them in serious danger. The majority of smokers are cognizant of the dangers of inhaling the poisons and toxins that deteriorate their health and those around them, and they either don’t care or are so addicted to tobacco, that they are at an impasse to do anything about it. There are many different reasons why people choose to smoke cigarettes. Many people start smoking during their teenage years, due to peer pressure and acceptance. Some people begin smoking due to the stress in their lives and are under the misconceived notion that it relaxes them. Others smoke due to the assumption that because their parents smoke, it must be okay. A little common sense would indicate that inhaling smoke cannot be good or healthy for the human body. Cigarettes are highly addictive, both physically and psychologically.
It is virtually impossible to avoid second-hand smoke when one in every four Americans are smokers. People are drawn into smoking by magazine ads and the media, and then become addicted by the tobacco companies that put ammonia, carcinogens and other toxins in their products. Smoking can cause diminished or extinguished sense of smell and taste, frequent colds, premature and more abundant face wrinkles, stroke, heart disease, increased blood pressure, reduced flow of oxygen to the brain, cancers of the; mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, lungs, pancreas, and tongue, among other things. Unfortunately, second-hand smoke kills about 60,000 non-smokers each year, 3,000 of which are attributed to lung cancer. Some of those chemicals include formaldehyde, arsenic, radioactive compounds, and carbon monoxide. Children lungs are still developing, and they are at greater risks to developing sore throats, colds, wheezing and coughing, tonsillitis, meningitis, ear infections, asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia when they are exposed to second-hand smoke. People exposed to second-hand smoke are 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, yet 450,000 smokers and 6,000 non-smokers die each year. Second-hand smoke is extremely dangerous to young children and infants. These companies spend billions of dollars a year on marketing to get people hooked, and a majority of this advertising is targeted to young children and teens. The smokers have a right to smoke and there are restrictions on where they can do this. A child who has parents that smoke is twice as likely to develop an acute respiratory illness than a child who has non-smoking parents. Both parties have rights in this situation.