No matter what your brand is, smoking is always dangerous to health. To date, there is no such thing as a safe substance to smoke. Be it acetone, tar, nicotine or carbon monoxide, everything is equally harmful. The substances you inhale don’t just affect your lungs, they can affect your entire body.
It won’t be wrong to say that smoking single-handedly can destroy your health. Cigarettes contain approximately 600 hazardous ingredients, most of which are present in all tobacco-based products. When these ingredients burn, they generate approximately 7,000 chemicals, and many of them are poisonous and linked to cancer.
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Here are some of the life-threatening factors of smoking:
Cigarettes Contain Dangerous Chemicals
Cigarettes are responsible contain harmful ingredients.
They include:
- Tar
This is present in the solid particles suspended in tobacco smoke. All cigarettes contain hazardous chemicals, including cancer-causing substances (carcinogens). Tar is sticky and brown, and stains teeth, fingernails and lung tissue - Carbon Monoxide
This is a harmful and poisonous gas. It is odourless, colourless, tasteless and slightly less dense than air. It blocks the blood’s ability to transfer oxygen to the body’s cells. Depending on the exposure, it can be fatal. - Oxidizing Chemicals
Oxidising chemicals are quite strong. They are responsible for damaging the heart muscles and blood vessels of people who smoke.
This can lead smokers to suffer from heart disease, stroke and blood vessel disease - Metals
The smoke of tobacco contains several metals that can cause cancer. That includes: arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead and nickel
1. Strong Effects Of Nicotine
One of the strongest and effective compounds present in tobacco is nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive and responsible for approaching your mind in just a few seconds and can make you instantly energised. The drawback is, as soon as its effect starts wearing off, you feel tired and crave more nicotine.
2. Lung Damage
Smoking cigarettes affects lung health as the smoker breathes in nicotine and a variety of additional chemicals.
Cigarettes are responsible for 25% in men and 25.7% in women, the risk of developing lung cancer. The centers for disease control and prevention estimate roughly 9 out of 10 lung cancer deaths linked to smoking.
Smoking cigarettes also presents a greater risk of developing and dying from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). In fact, the American Lung Association report that smoking causes 80 per cent of COPD deaths.
Cigarettes are also linked to developing emphysema and chronic bronchitis. They can also trigger or exacerbate an asthma attack.
3. Heart Diseases
Smoking cigarettes leads to damaged heart, blood vessels, and blood cells. The chemicals present in cigarettes are responsible for increasing a person’s risk of atherosclerosis. It is a build-up of plaque in the blood vessels. This build-up limits the flow of blood to our body when the person is suffering from dangerous blockages.
Moreover, smoking can also increase the risks of peripheral artery disease (PAD). It happens due to restricted blood flow towards our arms and legs and other parts of the body.
Suffering from PAD can also increase the risk of experiencing:
- Blood clots
- Angina
- Strokes
- Heart attack
4. Fertility Issues
Smoking is said to be highly damaging for a female’s reproductive system and makes it more difficult to get pregnant. The chemicals present in tobacco upsets the hormone levels and disturbs the process of conceiving.
Whereas in men, smoking too many cigarettes can increase the risks of erectile dysfunction. Smoking can also affect the quality of the sperm and therefore reduce fertility.
5. Weakened Immune System
Another major drawback of smoking is that the immune system is extremely compromised and weakened. It makes us susceptible and prone to other illnesses as well.
6. Vision Issues
Smoking cigarettes can not only be harmful to our immune system but also cause eye problems. It puts us at a significant risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
Other eye issues you might experience related to smoking can be:
- Dry eyes
- Glaucoma
- Diabetic retinopathy
7. Poor Oral Hygiene
People who are regular smokers have double the risk of gum disease as compared to non-smokers. This risk fluctuates with the number of cigarettes a person smokes.
The symptoms of gum disease can include the following:
- Swollen gums
- Bleeding while brushing teeth
- losing teeth
- Sensitive teeth
8. Unhealthy Skin And Hair
Skin can never be safe and healthy if you are a smoker. Smoking can be highly damaging. Not only does it affect us internally, but smoking can also damage a person’s skin and hair as well. Continuous consumption of nicotine can lead to permanent baldness.
9. Gum Disease
Smoking not only affects the organs but also increases the risk of you losing your teeth. Smoking can aggravate ongoing health conditions; moreover, it causes periodontitis. It is a gum infection that destroys the bone responsible for holding our teeth. It is the primary cause of every other adult losing their teeth.
10. Type 2 Diabetes
Smoking increases the chances of developing diabetes by 30 to 40%. It also makes managing the disease and regulating insulin level more challenging. A high level of nicotine reduces the effectiveness of insulin, causing the need for more insulin to maintain blood sugar level.
Smoking can also cause poor blood flow to the legs, feet, and other parts of the body. Consequently, it can lead to complications such as amputation of the limb.
Smoking can be fatal. To keep yourself healthy and risk-free, avoid smoking.
Afsheen Gohar believes in the power of clear, straightforward writing. Her blog posts tackle everyday topics with relatable insights and easy-to-follow advice. With a conversational style, she makes complex subjects feel understandable. She’s dedicated to sharing knowledge and empowering readers to take action. Find her latest posts on trending in social.
