Tobacco’s Death Toll
Dangers of Tobacco SmokingTobacco smoking claims one life in every five deaths yearly. That makes it the deadliest killer in terms of lifestyle habits. Are wondering how bad it can be. Well, did you know that this habit affects almost every organ of a smoker’s body? This intense effect on the body results from the fact that tobacco comprises of over 7,000 chemicals with nearly a hundred of them being toxic. You should also note that tobacco is toxic to every smoker i.e. direct and passive smokers. However, children and teens are the most vulnerable since their organs are still growing. When exposed to the smoke, their lungs experience growth impairment, wheezing, and chronic coughing.
Tobacco’s Effect on Adults
Although tobacco smoke causes more danger to kids and young adults, adults are not spared either. Several studies done with the aim of finding out what percentage of adult deaths is attributed in part to smoking shows that almost half of all adult deaths are caused by tobacco smoke. In fact, tobacco smoking is categorized as the number one preventable killer in the states claiming over 480,000 deaths yearly in the United States. This number is higher than the combination of deaths caused by the following items.
• HIV
• Firearm-related incidents
• Illegal drug abuse
• Motor vehicle-related accidents
Other shocking facts about tobacco deaths is that it causes almost 90% of lung cancer-related deaths, it has claimed 10 times more lives of adults than any war the United States has ever engaged in, and it claims lives of 80% of the adults who die from the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Tobacco Smoking Health Risks
Stroke Is More Common In Smokers.
Although passive smokers are vulnerable to the effects of smoke from tobacco, direct smokers are at the highest risk of developing medical conditions. In other words, the likelihood of them suffering from diseases related to smoking including lung cancer, heart diseases, and stroke is higher than that of passive smokers. With that said, tobacco increases the chances of getting coronary heart diseases and stroke by 2 to 4 times, the possibility of developing lung cancer in men by 25 times, while in women it increases by 25.7 times.
Other Harmful Health Risks of Tobacco
Other than cancer, heart, and respiratory related diseases, tobacco smoking poses other health risks to smokers. In women, it causes the following conditions.
• It can cause infertility in women
• Harming the baby’s health before and after birth
• Causing ectopic pregnancies
• Low birth weight
• Increase stillbirths
• High rate of infant deaths otherwise known as crib deaths
• Early delivery
In men, smoking is known to cause a number of harmful effects such as low sperm production that consequently, leads to infertility, increased chances of miscarriages, and heightened chances of birth defects. In addition, smoking is known to cause the following conditions.
Cataracts Are Prevalent In Smokers Too.
• Cause bone weakening
• Gum and tooth deterioration and even teeth loss
• Increase cataracts
• Age-related muscular degeneration
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Decreased immune system
This only explains that smoking is really bad to your health. Raise the awareness of the dangers of smoking. If you have a friend that’s a smoker, convince him. Explain what may happen if he or she continue smoking.