Smoking Since 1989,
numerous studies have been conducted to determine whether smoking is a health
hazard. The trend of the evidence has been consistent and indicates that there
is a serious health risk. Research teams have conducted studies that show beyond
all reasonable doubt that tobacco smoking is associated with a shortened life
expectancy. Cigarette smoking is believed by most research
workers in this field to be an important factor in the development of cancer of
the lungs and cancer of the throat and is believed to be related to cancer of
some other organs of the body. Male cigarette smokers have a higher death rate
from heart disease than non-smoking males. Female smokers are thought to be less
affected because they do not breathe in the smoke so deeply.
Apart from statistics, it might be helpful to look at what tobacco does to the
human body. Smoke is a mixture of gases, vaporized chemicals, minute particles
of ash and other solids. There is also nicotine, which is powerful poison, and
black tar. As smoke is breathed in, all those components form deposits on the
membranes of the lungs. One point of concentration is where the air tube and
bronchus divides. Most lung cancer begins at this point.
Filters and low tar tobacco are claimed to make smoking to some extent safer,
but they can only slightly reduce, not eliminate the hazards. Filters and low tar tobacco make smoking safer.