Abstract Cigarette smoking is something that has because second nature to most people. They wake up, smoke a cigarette. Before they go to bed, they smoke a cigarette. And all throughout the day, as they feel the urge, they smoke a cigarette. It has become a very dangerous habit that a lot of people don’t realize is a dangerous habit. In this paper I will discuss the negative effects that smoking cigarettes has on the human body. Cigarette Smoking Cigarette smoke is can be very harmful to the human body. One area of the body that is directly affected by cigarette smoke is the respiratory system.
Cigarettes contain chemicals that if constantly ingested in the body can be very harmful. One in particular is hydrogen cyanide (HCN) which is mixed in the cigarette along with tobacco and tar. Cigarettes also contain carbon-mono-oxide which is a deadly by-product. Carbon mono-oxide can attach to the hemoglobin of the human blood and this will deprive the body cells of oxygen. Even the wrapper on the cigarettes is harmful. The wrappers on cigarettes are dried tobacco leaves and chemicals that are supposed to help create an even combustion.
So inside they cigarette, there is tobacco, tar, and chemicals like HCN. And then the manufactures wrap these things up in dried tobacco leaves and mix in some more chemicals in order for the consumer to be able to get an even combustion on their cigarette. All these harmful chemicals are being ingestion into the human body and goes straight to the respiratory system. For those people who smoke daily, they don’t realize the harm they are doing to their bodies. Cigarette smoke can harm the respiratory system through two ways: by the smoke and the tar.
Because there is tar in cigarettes, when you smoke cigarettes, you can develop carcinogenic deposits in your respiratory system. This is the tar that turns into a gel like substance and gets stuck along the nasal and tracheal passage. This can cause major damage to the cilia. If a person continues to smoke cigarettes then the accumulation of tar can lead to lung cancer, and other problems like chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Carbon dioxide that is produced naturally by the human body is not considered a toxin. However, an elevated level of carbon dioxide is.
When carbon dioxide gets into the blood it is called Hypercapnia. Hypercapnia is the result of poor gas exchange in the lugs which can make it difficult for people to eliminate carbon dioxide. It’s also has been associated with other medical issues such as COPD also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. A person who has Hypercapnia may develop respiratory acidosis, which is when the pH content of the blood can drop due to the change in its chemical composition. Most people associate cigarette smoking with lung cancer, emphysema, asthma and various other respiratory problems.
However, the health risks involved don’t just stop at lung cancer. Cigarette smoking damages the body and other organs such the bladder, large intestine, stomach and esophagus, and heart. The thought that smoking cigarettes could affect your bladder seems highly unlikely. However, bladder cancer is the sixth common type of cancer in the United States. Smoking cigarettes can also increase the chances of you developing colon cancer and puts you at a higher risk for developing Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s disease is when the lining of the small and large intestines swell up.
Smoking cigarettes also makes it more likely for you to get heartburn or develop a sore in your stomach which is commonly known as a peptic ulcer. With continued smoking and a peptic ulcer has developed, you make it harder for it to heal. Last but not least, the most important organ affected it the heart. According to the Surgeon General, smoking is the leading preventable causes of disease and death. Smoking can cause plaque in the arteries and coronary heart disease. Smoking cigarettes also decreases your good cholesterol. Cellular respiration is the process in which energy is harvested by cells from the foods that we eat.
Our bodies require a bountiful amount of energy in order for us to stay alive. Cellular respiration leads to an accumulation of ATP in the cell also known as Adenosine Triphosphate. When the body converts ATP into energy for our everyday function, then carbon dioxide is produced. People who smoke cigarettes are limited in the amount of oxygen they have. Their respiratory system is weakened and therefore can’t get rid of carbon dioxide like a person who doesn’t smoke. Generally a non-smoker is able to get rid of the carbon dioxide for oxygen rather quickly and easily.
Smokeless tobacco is just as risky as smoking conventional cigarettes. According to the National Cancer Institute, chewing tobacco and snuff contain 28 cancer-causing agents. People who actually chew tobacco often develop cancer in their oral cavity. Also, smokeless tobacco is strongly associated with leukoplakia, which is a precancerous lesion of the soft tissue in the mouth. Although smokeless tobacco is done in a different way, it still carries the same result, which is nicotine addiction. Even in smokeless tobacco product, the nicotine is absorbed through the mouth or nose along with other chemical compounds found in tobacco.
The best way to avoid harmful diseases like lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, heart disease, Leukoplakia, tooth loss, stained teeth, bad breath, and other illnesses associated with smoking cigarettes is to not smoke them at all. References [1] What Does Smoking do to Your Respiratory System? (n. d. ). Retrieved from Quit your smoking addiction website: http://www. quityoursmokingaddiction. com/smoking-and-respiratory-system. php [2] Medical News Today: Smoking Causes Half of All Bladder Cancer Cases National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Smoking and Your Digestive System.
[3] Bladder cancer is six times more common in Northern America than Central America. (n. d. ). Retrieved from World Cancer Research Fund International website: http://www. wcrf. org/cancer_statistics/ cancer_facts/bladder_cancer_americas. php [4] Neuzil, A. , N. D. (2010, September 2).
What Organs in Your Body Can Be Damaged by Smoking? Read more: http://www. livestrong. com/article/220230-what-organs-in-your-body-can-be-damaged-by-smoking/ #ixzz2fH83RML1. Retrieved from http://www. livestrong. com/article/ 220230-what-organs-in-your-body-can-be-damaged-by-smoking/ [5] Smokeless Tobacco. (n. d. ). Retrieved from.