Essay about Several Reasons to Quit Smoking

Submitted By evelynchevez
Words: 805
Pages: 4

Evelyn Chevez
ENGL 1010
Several reasons to quit smoking
About 5.4 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco. Every 6.5 seconds a current or former smoker dies, according to the World Health Organization. Tobacco use will kill 1 billion people in the 21st century if the current smoking trend continues. Many studies also show that secondhand smoke can have harmful effects on non-smokers and can even cause them to develop diseases such as lung cancer and heart disease. Secondhand smoke has an especially bad effect on infants and children whose parents smoke. A number of studies show that in their first two years of life, babies of parents who smoke at home have a much higher rate of lung diseases such as bronchitis and pneumonia, than babies with non-smoking parents.
When you smoke a cigarette, about 4,000 chemicals, including 200 known poisons are being burnt simultaneously. Every time someone smokes, poisons such as benzene, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide are released into the air, which means that not only is the smoker inhaling them but so is everyone else around him. Cigarettes also contribute to air pollution. Carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas which causes ozone holes, is the main gas released in cigarettes. It increases global warming which also has many bad effects to this world and its people. The butts of cigarettes definitely add trash to the community.
What scares me the most is that smoking causes more than four in five cases oflung cancer[->0]. Lung cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers, and is the most common cause of cancer death in several countries including the US . The good news is that most of these deaths are preventable, by giving up smoking in time.
Smoking also increases the risk of over a dozen other cancers including cancers of themouth[->1], larynx[->2] (voice box),pharynx[->3] (upper throat), nose and sinuses,esophagus[->4] (food pipe),liver[->5], pancreas[->6], stomach[->7], kidney[->8], bladder[->9], cervix[->10] andbowel[->11], as well as one type ofovarian cancer[->12] and some types ofleukemia[->13]. There is also some evidence that smoking could increase the risk ofbreast cancer[->14].
Besides the all types of cancer people can get for not quitting smoking, there are also other effects also important like premature aging. Aging is a normal and natural process, but I think that anybody wants to look old before their time. Most of the factors associated with premature aging are within your control and are related to your lifestyle habits, including smoking. By changing some of these behaviors like your diet but especially quitting smoking, you can look your best and prevent damage to your health and look.
Smoking may contribute to more wrinkled skin at a younger age. Smoking speeds up your skin's natural aging process. Deep lines and wrinkles are likely to appear around your mouth. Your skin and teeth may also develop a yellowish tinge. Smoking may also lead to early gray hair and hair loss. Smokers have lower levels of Werner's protein, a protein in cells that assists with DNA repair and cell division. Werner's syndrome is a disease in which people age prematurely.

Quitting smoking is an extremely difficult process, and many smokers have a hard time finding a good starting point on their way to be smoke-free. Quitting smoking needs dedication and hard work. But it will be much easier if we could prevent it from the beginning. People start smoking at a very young