The Effects of Smoking Cigarettes and Methods To Quit
March 25, 2009 by Tisha Tolar
Filed under Health Issues, Medical Issues
The effects of smoking cigarette can lead to a number of illnesses which are responsible for claiming more lives than illegal drugs, 
alcohol, car accidents, homicides, suicides and AIDS combined. The dangers of smoking cigarettes have been well researched and documented yet the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention states one in five people in the U.S. are still smokers.
Dangers of Smoking
There are more than 700 chemicals found in cigarettes many of which are considered toxic and prohibited from the food that we eat. Reaching nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, once lit a cigarette releases thousands of chemical compounds including but not limited to carbon monoxide and other carcinogens. Nicotine which is found naturally in tobacco leaves is an odorless colorless ingredient which is highly addictive to the smoker, both physically and psychologically. Once inhaled nicotine can reach the brain in as little as 10 seconds and has can be found in literally every part of the body including breast milk for lactating woman. The dangers of smoking are not limited to the smoker themselves but also to anyone who is exposed to secondhand smoke. Smoking cigarettes can lead to various forms of lung cancer, a weakened immune system, respiratory ailments and cardiac arrest.
