Cigarette has been known to be addictive and dangerous to everyone’s health-to smokers or even to second hand smokers. The concern smoking brings to humanity is deadly and should be paid attention to not just by the government but also by each of us for we all aim of having a good health. I believe that we can do something to influence smokers or to those who are curious about smoking by continuously educating and reminding them the serious health effect of the nonsense vice brought. I have successfully made it with my brother and up until now I did not see him smoking again. Although I am not a health expert, with the help of today’s easy accessing of information to almost everything and with a determined heart to research about ‘smoking effects’ for my brother, I managed to grasp and share useful information enough to terrify him the destructive health effect of smoking. Now, I wanted to share it here in this platform to give awareness to those who only knows a little about it and to remind to those who already knew but does not give enough attention. To help save lives is my goal in making these blog.
The Tobacco Containing Smoking Devices
There are couple of ways a tobacco together with other chemicals are smoked. Tobacco smoking may be done by a cigarette, by a cigar, by a smoking pipe, by an Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) or by any other modified form of smoking techniques. The most popular tobacco product especially here in the Philippines is the Cigarette. Other types of smoking products are also known but are rarely seen being used. Cigarettes are the most widely used here because of its affordability. In this blog I will focus on cigarette smoking because of its dominance in Philippine tobacco smoking and because of how it affects the health of the smokers and second hand smokers.
A Cigarette simply contains not less than 4,000 chemicals which includes 43 compounds known to cause cancer (carcinogenic) and 400 other toxins. For sure it is scary enough for health-conscious people making them avoidance of smoking.
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What are the parts of a Cigarette?
Filter
It is the part of the cigarette not filled with tobacco. It is a cellulose tube meant to lower the amount of tar and other unwanted particles from entering the lungs, but this has been said to be insufficient filtering. Smoking still causes cancer and any other related health risks.
Filtration zone
It is the other end of the cigarette that goes into your mouth. It is also known as the butt for a fully consumed cigarette.
Cigarette Paper
It is a combustible wrapper that holds the tobacco. Basically it follows the form of a hollow tube.
Tobacco
It is the main content of a cigarette together with the other harmful additive chemicals.
Tipping Paper
It is the outer covering of the filtration zone.
Cigarette smoking here in The Philippines can easily influence non-smokers especially to teenagers because of some factors.
Common Factors Influencing Cigarette Smoking based on My Observations
1.Asking Children to buy Cigarettes by and for the elders
As of my observation some elders ( a brother, an uncle or even a father) insensitively ask the young ones to buy the cigarette for them and for the reason that elders are the superriors children are obliged to follow. This can cause curiosities in smoking to the children . Since a child’s mine is full of curiosity, they might think of trying to experience it. Because there are plenty of “sari-sari” stores in the country where cigarettes are sold in packs or per stick, it can be easily obtained by the youngsters.
2.There is no strict implementation in smoke free zones
Except the well- known strict Davao City, most of the places in the country does not strictly enforce no-smoking zones in public places. I know their is a local law for it. The only problem is it is not tightly implemented. Aside from second hand smoke as a negative effect experienced by non-smokers, it influences teenagers by means of curiosity. Hopefully, as our current president is an advocate of responsible smoking, smoking will be properly regulated and implemented in this country.
3.Lack of Awareness
People especially teenagers are eager to try and experience something new even without knowing the consequences it brings. With lack of awareness programs even to the smallest society, people will continue smoking without broadly understanding the harmful effects in health it brings. Of course they know and they were told that it is bad for one’s health, but I believe that it is not deep enough for them to quit smoking.
Some Chemicals and Ingredients of Cigarettes and their Health Effects
Nicotine
It is the addictive component of the cigarette. Some of its effects on direct application are irritation and burning sensation in the mouth and throat.
Fungicides and Pesticides
It is associated with many types of cancer and birth defects.
Cadmium
It is associated with lung and prostate cancer.
Benzene
It is associated with leukemia.
Formaldehyde
It is associated with lung cancer.
Nickel
It is known to cause vulnerability to lung infections.
Ammonia
It is a household cleaner.
Arsenic
It is use for rat poisoning.
Butane Gas
It is the fluid in lighters. It serves as fire fuel.
Carbon Monoxide
A poisonous gas that can be found in vehicle smokes.
Cadmium
It can be found in batteries.
Cyanide
It is a very poisonous compound.
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)
It is a banned insecticide.
Napthalene
It can be found in mothballs.
Polonium
It is a radioactive element that can cause cancer.
Those are just a handful of harmful components of a cigarette. All its contents are too many to mention here. I am pretty sure that those ingredients, there usage and their health effects are so terrifying. It seems somehow awkward why some people treat smoking as just a normal thing.
What does Cigarette Smoking brought?
- leads most commonly to disease affecting the heart, lungs and liver
- major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- lung cancer
- larynx and mouth cancer
- pancreatic cancer
- peripheral vascular disease and hypertension
- each stick is estimated to shorten life by 11 minutes
- causes 5.4 million deaths in 2004 as estimated by World Health Organizatoin
- causes a hundred million deaths over the course of 20th century according to World Health Organization
- second-hand smoke can cause cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma
Environmental Impacts
Land Contamination
It is estimated that there are 4.5 trillion of cigarette that is smoked every year. This number corresponds to the same number of cigarette filters turned into waste after smoking. The fact that cigarette butts contain the chemicals, it will contaminate the soil and deplete its nutrients causing plants to not grow normally.
Water Contamination
In an international cleanup conducted in 2006, it was found out that approximately 24.7 % of the total collected garbage in the ocean is cigarettes and cigarettes butts(filters). These pose a great risk to aquatic species where it could be mistakenly presume as a food.
Since cigarette filters contain the chemicals being filtered during smoking, it put concern to the surrounding if improperly segregated. The chemical contents in the filter can easily contaminate waterways if thrown their.
Fires
It was found out that smoldering cigarette filters that are carelessly thrown are also major fire stimulus in residential areas or in forests which it can cause loss of property and loss of life.
There are moves undertaken to reduce the risks cause by cigarette butts to the environment. Government imposes sanctions to those who does not throw it properly. Researchers also find ways how to speed up the degradation process of a cigarette filter. Some researchers developed ways to convert cigarette butts into useful form of energy. However, the best tool to eradicate these problems is to discourage smoking. Proper education and awareness plays a big role to help save people and the environment from smoking.
How to quit smoking?
- Reduce the number of sticks consumed each single day
- Be positive
- Make your love ones, career and the things you enjoy as inspirations
- Remember the adverse effects it brought
*Be determined - Practice self-discipline
There are health professionals that can guide smokers to quitting. They give assistance to those who want to leave the vice. For me, the best way to stop smoking is dedication and self-discipline. No matter how you are assisted by health care experts into refraining from smoking, it is of no use if you do not have enough dedication and discipline. It is always up to you. I know it is not easy but I know how thankful you are at the end if you can make it. To smokers, it may start by reducing the number of sticks consumed everyday until to the point of being completely independent from it. Just continue to lesser the number of cigarettes consumed everyday. It will become a habit and eventually you will be afraid to even touch it. Make your love ones, your career and the things that give you joy as your inspiration to quit smoking. Also, always remember the adverse effect it causes not just to human health but also to nature.
To non-smokers, I suggest you should not try and make curiosity as an excuse for it could be a gateway to your addiction.
SO HOW DID I CONVINCE MY BRO TO STOP SMOKING?
Well, I just simply discuss him about what I have researched and showed him some “all about smoking” youtube videos. My goal is to free him from smoking through showing him the scary chemical contents and the terrifying effects of smoking. Indeed it is successful and up until now I did not see him holding even a single stick again.
I hope this post make sense and will help even a little to you my fellow steemians.
Thank you Very Much!
References:
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigarette
- http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/whatsinit.htm
- http://whyquit.com/whyquit/A_Benefits_Time_Table.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/index.htm
- http://www.props.eric-hart.com/resources/parts-of-a-cigar-cigarette-pipe-and-matchbook/
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