| According to PhysLink.com, when you inhale a | | | | Respiratory Disease |
| cigarette the temperature in the middle of the tip of a | | | | More than 90% of emphysema deaths are caused by |
| cigarette goes from 1100 F. to 1300 degrees F. The tip | | | | smoking. Smokers have more upper and lower |
| or combustion zone of a cigarette or cigar produces | | | | respiratory tract infections and other respiratory |
| carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen. | | | | diseases than nonsmokers. |
| Further back where it is a bit cooler you have the | | | | When mothers smoke during pregnancy, it damages |
| pyrolysis/distillation zone. The distillation zone is where | | | | their infants' developing lungs (1) |
| the 5000 or so chemicals are produced and unleashed. | | | | Reproductive Problems |
| As the super saturated vapor cools it is transformed | | | | Smoking harms every phase of reproduction |
| into aerosol particles that form the smoke. Some of | | | | Smoking increases the risk of complications during |
| the smoke goes directly into your lungs the rest is | | | | pregnancy, it raises the risk of premature birth, low birth |
| dispersed as second hand smoke. The smoke that | | | | weight infants, stillbirth, and infant mortality |
| goes into your lungs and into your blood stream | | | | Infants exposed to secondhand smoke after birth |
| causes one set of problems, the smoke that surrounds | | | | have double the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, |
| your lips and wafts across your eyes and complexion | | | | or SIDS (1) |
| causes other problems. | | | | Eye Disease |
| The problem with using disease as a scare tactic or | | | | Smoking is already a known risk factor for age-related |
| motivator to quit smoking is people don't think that | | | | macular degeneration, cataract and thyroid eye |
| way. They don't walk around all day worrying about | | | | disease. Now, the first study to specifically examine |
| all the awful things that can happen. The cause and | | | | the impact of smoking on uveitis-inflammation of the |
| effect between smoking and disease is too far | | | | eye's middle layer of tissue-indicates that tobacco |
| removed. The ravages of smoking build up, bit-by-bit, | | | | smoke likely plays a role in this serious eye disease, as |
| day-by-day, cigarette-by-cigarette, until the cumulative | | | | well. (2) |
| affect hits its mark. Almost all smoking related | | | | The Good News About Quitting and Reducing Risk: |
| diseases are non-reversible. You may be able to | | | | In case you are thinking what's the use you have |
| arrest of stop the damage in some cases but often | | | | smoked for too long, don't give up, according to the |
| the results of smoking have done irreparable harm to | | | | American Cancer Society: |
| your heart, throat, lungs, eyes, complexion, arteries and | | | | When smokers quit -- What are the benefits over |
| circulation. Many people think of cancer when they | | | | time? |
| think of smoking related disease, the degenerative | | | | 20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood |
| diseases associated with smoking take a subtle toll | | | | pressure drops. |
| reducing mobility and quality of life. | | | | (Mahmud A, Feely J. Effect of Smoking on Arterial |
| Smoking is a time bomb with a variable length fuse; | | | | Stiffness and Pulse Pressure |
| some smokers will live to be 100, while others will | | | | Amplification. Hypertension. 2003;41:183.) |
| perish at 40. Smoking cigarettes is a game of Russian | | | | 12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in |
| roulette, quicksand, landmines and trip wires because; | | | | your blood drops to normal. |
| you never know which cigarette or how many it is | | | | (U.S. Surgeon General's Report, 1988, p. 202) |
| going to take to become ill. No one should smoke, but | | | | 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation |
| especially those who are predisposed by heredity, or | | | | improves and your lung function increases. |
| preexisting conditions such as diabetes, circulatory | | | | (U.S. Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. 193, 194, 196, |
| problems, heart disease or elevated cholesterol. The | | | | 285, 323) |
| risk factors associated with smoking have been | | | | 1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of |
| known for years and have been reported by the U.S | | | | breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that |
| Surgeon General and others. | | | | move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in |
| Smoking Related Disease and Risk Factors | | | | the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean |
| Smoking harms nearly every major organ of the body, | | | | the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection. |
| often in profound ways, causing many diseases and | | | | (U.S. Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. 285-287, 304) |
| significantly diminishing the health of smokers in general. | | | | 1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart |
| Toxins in cigarette smoke go everywhere the blood | | | | disease is half that of a smoker's. |
| flows (1) | | | | (U.S. Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi) |
| Cancer | | | | 5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to |
| Smoking causes the vast majority of lung cancers, | | | | that of a non-smoker 5 to 15 years after quitting. |
| along with cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, | | | | (U.S. Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi) |
| esophagus, pancreas, kidney, bladder, stomach, and | | | | 10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is |
| acute myeloid leukemia (1) | | | | about half that of a person who continues smoking. |
| Cardiovascular Disease | | | | The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, |
| Smoking is one of the major independent causes of | | | | bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease, too. |
| coronary disease. Smoking causes atherosclerosis, | | | | (U.S. Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. vi, 131, 148, |
| strokes, and abdominal aortic aneurysm. It accelerates | | | | 152, 155, 164, 166) |
| the progressive hardening and narrowing of the | | | | 15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart |
| arteries. Cigarette smoke damages the cells lining the | | | | disease is the same as a non-smoker's. |
| blood vessels and heart (1) | | | | (U.S. Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. |