The Harms Of Cigarettes And How Do We Reduce It

The harms of cigarettes and how do we reduce it | Everyone knows that smoking is always related to heart disease, lung cancer, stroke and other chronic diseases but many smokers find it is hard to stop. Almost one third of deaths from coronary heart disease are due to smoking and secondhand smoke. Public are still not aware of the harms of cigarettes and how it harms our health, so in this blog i would like to share more information with you about it. 

There are approximately 600 ingredients in cigarettes smoke and when burned, cigarettes smoke create more than 7,000 chemicals. Below are the component in a cigarette that is so toxic and dangerous to human health.

The Harms Of Cigarettes And How Do We Reduce It

• 1,3-Butadiene is a chemical used to manufacture rubber. It is considered to be a carcinogenic chemical that can cause certain blood cancers.
• Arsenic is used to preserve wood. Some arsenic compounds have been linked to cancer of the lung, skin, liver, and bladder.
• Benzene is used to manufacture other chemicals. It can cause cancer, particularly leukemia, in humans.
• Cadmium is a metal used to make batteries. Cadmium and cadmium compounds can cause lung cancer and have been associated with kidney and prostate cancer.
• Chromium VI is used to make alloy metals, paint and dyes. Chromium VI compounds cause lung cancer and have been associated with cancer of the nose and nasal sinuses.
• Formaldehyde is used to make other chemicals and resins. It is also used as a preservative. Formaldehyde causes leukemia and cancer in respiratory tissues.
• Polonium-210 is a radioactive element that has been shown to cause cancer in animals.
• Tar is not one single chemical, instead it describes several chemicals that are in tobacco smoke. It leaves a sticky, brown residue on your lungs, teeth and fingernails.

TAR is not road surfacing as we thought

Many of us thought cigarettes contained TAR from road surfacing but TAR is not a single chemical in cigarette smoke. It is the term that is used for the toxic chemical particles left behind and is made by the burning of tobacco. When a tobacco is burned and the burning tobacco will create a toxic smoke. It is a sticky black chemical substance that can gather inside the lungs and this smoke will paralyzes the cilia that protect lungs form dirt and infection. Cilia are tiny, hair-like structures that line the trachea which works to trap pollutants.

TAR is the primary cause of cigarette-related diseases such as lung cancer, emphysema, or other lung diseases. It will start its damaging work by allowing all toxins to travel freely into the lungs when the cilia are damaged.

The tar does not just affect lungs but the toxins can be carried into the bloodstream and begin moving to other parts of the body. Because smoke is drawn directly through the mouth, the tar can contribute to oral cancer as well.

There is an alternative way

Many smokers do understand that smoking is unhealthy and that the smoke released by burning tobacco is harmful because it contains all the harmful chemicals I mentioned above.

However, they failed to quit smoking for various reasons, but does this mean that they and their loved ones must be exposed to harmful chemicals and smoke? The answer is no.

Thank you for the technological advances we have now. Smokers can now enjoy nicotine without burning or releasing harmful fumes. This is because there is a technology called heat-not-burn technology that allows smokers to release nicotine from tobacco without burning the tobacco.

Comparing the heat-not-burn (HNB) technology and alternatives with traditional combustible cigarettes, it is less harmful and the content of harmful chemicals is reduced by 95% on average. Furthermore, alternatives such as e-cigarettes and snus are also considered as less harmful alternatives that smokers could consider, because these alternatives do not required to burn tobacco and do not produce tar or carbon monoxide.

Although it is not risk-free, it is less harmful to smokers and those around them than traditional combustible cigarettes.

The Harms Of Cigarettes And How Do We Reduce It

Self-experience Living with heavy smoker

Smoking was part of lifestyle way back during my childhood and seeing people surrounding smoke is very common. They smoke in a way to ease them from the daily workload and while gathering leisure time with friends. It is very common seeing kids start to smoke from young from school friends and become heavy smokers as they grow up.

My father was one of the heavy smokers for more than 30 years, way before I entered primary school. He smokes more than 3 to 4 times a day, while reading the newspaper and after meals. His routine is normal to us but as we grow up we dislike his smoking habit but it's hard to voice out. We believe that is the way he eases himself and releases his daily hectic working routine. Furthermore, there were many advertisements in newspapers and television, promoting new cigarette brands available but nothing about the problem of health.

One day, my father was rushed to hospital as he unable to breathe properly and had nonstop cough. It was a shocked to all of us as we know that my father is healthy and fit despite being a heavy smoker. The doctor told us that my father had clogged blood vessels in the heart and that he suggests that my father to stop smoking because if he doesn't then he could get cardiovascular disease. It was a piece of shocking news to my father and us. I then Google the info and later found that the chemicals in cigarette smoke cause the cells that line blood vessels to become swollen and inflamed. This can narrow the blood vessels and can lead to many cardiovascular conditions. My father listened anxiously with the rest of the family too. The information makes me have the courage to advice my father that he should stop smoking and start it slowly. 

Finally, my father is free from cigarettes within 6 months! That surprised mom and the whole family. I know it is not an easy journey for him and I have seen him smoke privately behind us to ease his addiction. I have seen him smoke for one or two seconds then he threw away the cigarette. He chooses to chew gum and sweets in a way to stop himself from smoking and he did it.  It is pitiful to see him suffer but he is doing his best to have an alternative life.

Useful info on health why smokers should stop smoking

https://www.verywellmind.com/tar-in-cigarettes-2824718

https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking-tobacco/how-smoking-and-nicotine-damage-your-body

https://www.lifeline24.co.uk/stop-smoking

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/about-e-cigarettes.html

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/using-e-cigarettes-to-stop-smoking/