The Surgeon General Has Determined
Smoking tobacco products has been around for thousands of years, it’s nothing new. Humans first came into contact with tobacco about 18,000 years ago when migrant Asiatic people first crossed the Bering Strait and spread across the continents, where tobacco is now native (Gately). Yet it seems that the past 40 years have brought about more debates on smoking cigarettes than ever; Debates as to whether smoking causes lung cancer and even death. The Center for Disease Control approximate 443,000 deaths are attributed to tobacco use annually (Adhikari). Most professionals will discourage smoking and say that it is hazardous not only to health, but also to the environment and can be financially straining.
In the early 1900’s, smoking cigarettes had become almost a required practice, and the norms of etiquette reflected its importance (Brandt). Anywhere one would go, a cigarette was sure to be there. Smoking cigarettes is extremely bad for the environment and is one reason why people should not smoke. The amount of smoke emitted from the countless cigarettes smoked daily greatly affects the environment and the air that we breathe. Cigarettes contain over four thousand chemicals which are exhaled and released into the air and the atmosphere. Approximately twenty two percent of North Americans are smokers, and the percentage goes much higher in developing countries, which means there is a massive amount of pollution being released into the air every day (Taylor). Along with polluting the precious air that is essential to life on this planet, smoking also harms the water that we drink and the ground that we walk on. Cigarette butts are a deadly cause of land pollution. Tossed into gutters and on the shoulders of roads, if they do not first cause a fire or are eaten by wildlife, cigarette butts will likely travel through storm drains and enter our watershed, where they can travel all the way to the ocean. Because cigarette filters are specifically designed to accumulate toxins, each cigarette butt can contain up to sixty known human carcinogens including arsenic, formaldehyde, chromium and lead (“Cigarettes”). Recently, an “eco-friendly” cigarette called the E-Cigarette was released, claiming that they free the environment from the chemicals regularly found in regular cigarettes and the trash created by cigarettes (Hall). E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that generally contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavor and other chemicals. The electronic cigarette turns nicotine and other chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the smoker. Though many smokers may think that E-Cigarettes may be an escape from the harms of nicotine addiction, the FDA has recently announced that a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette samples has found that they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze (DeLancey). These chemicals are being inhaled by the smoker and then exhaled into the air, which is essentially no better than normal cigarettes. Contrary to popular belief, there is no environmentally safe way to smoke.
The most popular cigarettes today are Marlboros. The cost of a pack of Marlboros in Maryland is $6.10 including tax. Most smokers smoke about a pack a day which adds ups to $2,226.50 a year out of millions of people’s pockets and into the pockets of tobacco companies. In 2006 approximately $83.6 billion was spent on cigarettes in the United States (“Use”). Another reason not to smoke is that it can be a big financial burden. Adults in families that are not poor are less likely to be current smokers than those in families that are poor (“Status”). This means that families that are already struggling to get by are spending money on cigarettes instead of more important things like health insurance. Also, it has been proven that smokers earn anywhere from four to eleven percent less than nonsmokers. It’s not just a loss of productivity to smoke breaks and poorer health that takes a financial toll; researchers believe smokers are perceived to be less attractive and successful as well (“Facts”)
Perhaps the most important reason not to smoke is the effect on one’s health. Cigarette smoking is the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States (“Use”). Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body, from the heart to the lungs. In the heart cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels and puts smokers at a higher risk of developing peripheral vascular disease (“Use”). Peripheral artery disease is a common circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to limbs. When one develops peripheral artery disease, extremities don't receive enough blood flow to keep up with demand of blood (Harms). This can turn the simple task of walking into an excruciating endeavor. In the lungs, smoking causes lung diseases like emphysema, bronchitis, and chronic airway obstruction by damaging the airways and alveoli of the lungs. Smoking has also been found to cause bladder, cervical, esophageal, lung, kidney, stomach and uterine cancer (“Uses”). Tobacco companies have “light” “ultra light” and “mild” cigarettes which contain less nicotine than regular cigarettes - with the implication that they are less harmful to smokers' health. However, a recent study has proven that these “healthier” cigarettes deliver nearly as much nicotine to the brain. Light cigarettes have nicotine levels of 0.6 to 1 milligrams, while regular cigarettes contain between 1.2 and 1.4 milligrams (Wheeler), again proving the point that there is no healthy or safe way to smoke. So why smoke at all?
At one point in time, smoking cigarettes was a social norm. But in this day and age, smoking is looked down upon and thought to be “nasty” and “repulsive” by most people. Now, twenty one states across the United States have one hundred percent smoke-free workplaces and bars and people are finally starting to crack down on the effects of smoking on humans. Years of research have shown that smoking cigarettes are not only detrimental to the environment and human heath, but also can become a financial burden.
Works Cited
Adhikari, B. "Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Productivity Losses --- United States, 2000--2004." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 14 Nov. 2008. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5745a3.htm
Brandt, Allan M. The Cigarette Century: the Rise, Fall, and Deadly Persistence of the Product That Defined America. New York: Basic, 2007. Print.
"Cigarettes: Toxic Trash." Californians Against Waste. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. http://www.cawrecycles.org/issues/cigarettes/toxic_trash
"Current Cigarette Smoking Status." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Aug. 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm
DeLancey, Siobhan. "FDA and Public Health Experts Warn About Electronic Cigarettes." U.S Food and Drug Administration. 22 July 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm173222.htm
Gately, Iain. 2001. A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization. New York, NY: Grove Press.
Hall, Randy. "Electric Cigarettes." ArticleSlash. 24 Mar. 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. http://www.articleslash.net/Health-and-Fitness/Alternative/549793__Electric-Cigarettes-Smoke-Wherever-You-Like.html
Harms, Roger. "Peripheral Artery Disease." Mayo Clinic. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/peripheral-arterial-disease/DS00537
"Smoking and Tobacco Use." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 13 Sept. 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/index.htm
"Smoking Facts." Your Finish Rich Plan. 21 May 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. http://yourfinishrichplan.com/blog/2008/05/21/smoking-facts-tips-stopping-quit-smoking-symptoms-harmful-effects/
Tayor-Cassan, Jessica. "How Smoking Affects Our Environment." AboutMyPlanet. 29 Aug. 2007. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/environment/smoking-affects/
Wheeler, Mark. "'Light' Cigarettes versus Regular Cigarettes." Medical News Today. 29 Sept. 2008. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123333.php
It seems a little short. Maybe you could go into more detail about the social norms angle?
ReplyDeleteI really like your topic. It's very relevant.
ciao
PS watch out for Naylor...