Smoking is one of the greatest preventable causes of disease in the world today. Hundreds of thousands of people die every year because of diseases related to smoking.
What was thought to be a harmless, interesting custom by those who first smoked several hundred years ago has now changed, since the invention of cigarettes, into death-dealing addiction. As smoking has increased, an alarming increase in the cases of lung cancer has also been noted by doctors in different parts of the world. Today, lung cancer, which used to be rare, is the number one cancer among men in much of the world, including Southeast Asia. It now accounts for 29% of all cancer deaths.
How does smoking harm the body? The act of smoking and the resultant heat in the cigarette produce certain tars and other harmful substances. These are inhaled into the delicate linings of the mouth and bronchial tree of the lungs. Some are absorbed into the blood stream. Nicotine is the most familiar poison in tobacco. The hot, dry smoke contains over 1,000 chemicals, 30 of which are poisonous to the body. Some 16 have been found capable of stimulating the development of cancer. These harmful substances are deposited on lung passages, irritating them and causing a chronic smoker's cough. The harmful effects and hazards are related to the duration of smoking, the amount smoked, and inhaling. It may take 20 years for lung cancer to develop, but if a person begins smoking at the age of 14, he may become ill just when his family and his community need him most.
A smoker does not have to wait for 20 years in order to get the harmful effects in his body. Carbon monoxide, a deadly gas which is present in automobile exhaust fumes, is also present in tobacco smoke. It decrease the oxygen supply to the brain by as much as 15%. When you smoke you impair your mental ability. In a study of a large group of students, it was found that 8% of students with an A average smoked, but 60% of those with D or lower averaged smoked.
A person loses 80% of his night vision when he smokes. This is the reason why airline pilots are advised not to smoke while flying. One cigarette will increase the heart rate by 15 beats per minute. It increases the blood pressure and decreases the function of the lungs.
Smoking mothers are almost twice as likely to give birth to a dead baby as non-smoking mothers. Pregnant women who smoke also produce babies who are on the average 170 gram lighter than those of non-smoking mothers.
But the greatest killing effect of smoking is the damage of the heart. Just a few puffs will greatly increase the heart beat and the blood pressure. In fact, there is hardly a part of the body system which is not adversely affected by the poisons contained in tobacco smoke.
The Voice of Prophecy
What was thought to be a harmless, interesting custom by those who first smoked several hundred years ago has now changed, since the invention of cigarettes, into death-dealing addiction. As smoking has increased, an alarming increase in the cases of lung cancer has also been noted by doctors in different parts of the world. Today, lung cancer, which used to be rare, is the number one cancer among men in much of the world, including Southeast Asia. It now accounts for 29% of all cancer deaths.
How does smoking harm the body? The act of smoking and the resultant heat in the cigarette produce certain tars and other harmful substances. These are inhaled into the delicate linings of the mouth and bronchial tree of the lungs. Some are absorbed into the blood stream. Nicotine is the most familiar poison in tobacco. The hot, dry smoke contains over 1,000 chemicals, 30 of which are poisonous to the body. Some 16 have been found capable of stimulating the development of cancer. These harmful substances are deposited on lung passages, irritating them and causing a chronic smoker's cough. The harmful effects and hazards are related to the duration of smoking, the amount smoked, and inhaling. It may take 20 years for lung cancer to develop, but if a person begins smoking at the age of 14, he may become ill just when his family and his community need him most.
A smoker does not have to wait for 20 years in order to get the harmful effects in his body. Carbon monoxide, a deadly gas which is present in automobile exhaust fumes, is also present in tobacco smoke. It decrease the oxygen supply to the brain by as much as 15%. When you smoke you impair your mental ability. In a study of a large group of students, it was found that 8% of students with an A average smoked, but 60% of those with D or lower averaged smoked.
A person loses 80% of his night vision when he smokes. This is the reason why airline pilots are advised not to smoke while flying. One cigarette will increase the heart rate by 15 beats per minute. It increases the blood pressure and decreases the function of the lungs.
Smoking mothers are almost twice as likely to give birth to a dead baby as non-smoking mothers. Pregnant women who smoke also produce babies who are on the average 170 gram lighter than those of non-smoking mothers.
But the greatest killing effect of smoking is the damage of the heart. Just a few puffs will greatly increase the heart beat and the blood pressure. In fact, there is hardly a part of the body system which is not adversely affected by the poisons contained in tobacco smoke.
The Voice of Prophecy
