Essay on Smoking: Tobacco Industry

Submitted By Longnvu
Words: 799
Pages: 4

The tobacco industry contains one of largest traded items in the world. Approximately, 1 trillion cigarettes are sold each year worldwide. Although the tobacco industry is very profitable for the companies that distribute cigarettes, they are also deemed one of the most dangerous. Smoking is not a wise choice to make for many reasons. In the United States smoking accounts for more than four hundred and forty thousands of deaths each year. Smoking causes more harm than anything else, so why pay for something that will not benefit you in any way. Tobacco products should be banned. It has too many detrimental effects for your health, can cause high risk pregnancies, and be a financial burden. There are many health concerns when using tobacco products. According to the Center for Disease Control, smoking increases the risk for coronary heart disease, emphysema, and several forms of cancers. The most common type of disease caused from smoking cigarettes is lung cancer. About eighty-five percent of Americans die each year from this alone. Although, there are many instances of people smoking their entire lives, and do not develop lung cancer. Smoking can also reduce your blood’s circulation especially in your arms and legs. It is a condition known as peripheral vascular disease, which can limit every day activities such as exercising. The disease can also lead to open sores that will not heal. Tobacco products contains over four thousand chemicals. One of the many chemical compounds found in a cigarettes is urea. Urea is a compound in urine, and it is used to flavor the cigarettes. There are so many disturbing chemicals packed inside. The majority of smokers are truly unaware of how dangerous the products they are using is effecting their health.

Another disturbing reason is women who smoke during their pregnancy increase the risks for several birth defects. Smoking is harmful not only to the mothers, but for the baby as well. The chemicals a cigarette contains are carried through the mothers' bloodstream and passed on to the baby. Secondhand smoking can also effect a baby in utero. The smoke that burns off the end of a cigarette, is actually more harmful to the other person than the smoker. The damaging effects of smoking can cause low birth weight, ectopic pregnancies, and stillbirths. It may also affect the child’s metal development and behavior; leading to a short attention span and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). The more you smoke during pregnancy the more risk of complications or harmful effects the baby is likely to have. Studies show that third hand smoke can have serious effects as well as first and secondhand smoking. Third hand smoking is the residue left from smoking. Although you cannot see it, it remains on the smoker’s hands, clothes, even on the walls of their home. There are many options to quit, speak to your doctor, or friends and family for support. A smoker spends about six dollars a pack on cigarettes, which can add up to thousands of dollars a year. This does not include the cost of health and life insurance. Smokers pay