Cigarettes and its effect on the body

Facts about Tobacco

- Tobacco is a plant indigenous to North & South America and originated in 1600s by Spanish explorers in Europe

- The average price of a pack of cigarettes is $8.39 in the United States.

- Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths each year in US. Approx. 480K

- Smoking causes more deaths each year than the following HIV, Illegal drug use, Alcohol use, car accidents, firearm related incidents

- Smoking causes 90% of all lung cancer deaths. More women die from lung cancer than breast

cancer

- In 2021 13.1% (44.5 MILLION) MEN of US adults currently smoked cigs; 10% (34 MILLION) of women smoke cigarettes (US POPULATION 340 MILLION )

- Many adult cigarette smokers want to quit smoking

What’s in a cigarette?

- 600 ingredients are in one cigarette

- 7,000 different chemicals released when burned and many are poisonous

- 69 chemicals in tobacco smoke cause cancer

Common dangerous ingredients in a cigarette and what they’re used for

- Benzene – Industrial solvent refined from Crude oil

- Chromium – used to manufacture dye, paints and alloys

- Cadmium – used in batteries

- Arsenic – a Poison 

- 1,3 Butadiene – used in rubber manufacturing 

- Formaldehyde – used as a preservative in science Labs and Mortuaries (funeral homes)

- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – a group of dangerous DNA damaging chemicals, including

Benzopyrene 

What are E-CIGARETTES (VAPING) –

- A battery-operated device that has a heating element and flavored liquid cartridge that creates an

aerosol (smoke cloud)

- Average price $4-$20

- Most contain Nicotine

- Come in different shapes, some resemble cigarettes, others are discreet and may look like a regular pen or USB Drive

- Not approved by FDA as a quit smoking aid and are just as addictive as cigarettes

What E-Cigarette smoke contains

- Nicotine

- Ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs

- Flavoring such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease

- Volatile organic compounds

- Cancer-causing chemicals

What Smoking does to the body

- Harms every organ of the body and leads to disease and disabilities

- Increased risk for cataracts, Macular Degeneration(AMD damage to retina)

RETINA - PART OF EYE NEEDED FOR CENTRAL VISION,

- Increased risk for type 2 diabetes (non-insulin) and makes it harder to control

- Rheumatoid arthritis (joints mainly) (autoimmune and inflammatory disease)

Cardiovascular System (Heart, Blood Vessels, Blood)

- Smokers are at greater risk for diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease)

- Smoking damages blood vessels and can cause them to thicken and grow narrower. This makes your heart beat faster and your blood pressure go up. Clots can also form.

- Blockages caused by smoking can also reduce blood flow to your legs and skin.

- Smoking cigarettes remains the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in US

- Increases chances of heart disease, stroke and lung cancer. Respiratory System (nose, mouth, throat, voice box, windpipe, airways, lungs)

- Increases risk of lung diseases (emphysema and COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease) 

- Can trigger an asthma attack in those that have asthma. Important not to smoke around

children Causes Cancer

- Bladder, blood, cervix, colon, esophagus, kidneys, liver, pancreas, stomach throat, lungs,

Reproductive system

- Smoking can make it harder for a woman to become pregnant. It can also affect her baby’s

health before and after birth. Smoking increases risks for:

o Preterm (early) delivery

o Stillbirth (death of the baby before birth)

o Low birth weight

o Sudden infant death syndrome (known as SIDS or crib death)

- Affects men’s sperm and reduces fertility

- Increases risk of birth defects and miscarriage

Bone Health (Skeletal System) and other systems

- Women past childbearing years who smoke have weaker bones than those who never smoked.

- Teeth and gums are affected.

HOW TO QUIT

- Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) – GUM, PATCHES, LOZENGES), 

- Counseling (cope with stress, urges to smoke)

- Medications to help manage withdrawal systems (Ex. Wellbutrin XL)

Benefits of quitting

- Improves overall health and enhances quality of life.

- Reduces the risk of premature death and can add as much as 10 years to life expectancy.

- Reduces the risk for many adverse health effects, including poor reproductive health outcomes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cancer.

- benefits people already diagnosed with coronary heart disease or COPD.

- benefits the health of pregnant women and their fetuses and babies.

- reduces the financial burden that smoking places on people who smoke, healthcare systems, and society.