A single cigarette has about 4,500 chemicals, more than 60 of them carcinogenic. There areeven radioactive substances in cigarette smoke.Nicotine addiction produces superior to cocaine orheroin.
There are 2 billion passive smokers in the world, and half the child population is in that situation.Passive smoking is a major cause of respiratory diseases in children.
The act of smoking causes problems in virtuallyevery organ in the body, because nicotineinterferes with blood circulation. In smokers, thereoccurs an increased risk of heart attack, stroke,gangrene and even amputation of limbs. The skinbecomes drier, with more wrinkles, bones canbecome weakened further, with greater chance of osteoporosis. Blood flow can also be impaired inthe ovaries, testicles and penis, leading to infertilityand impotence. In the eyes, changes may occur inthe retina, cataracts and even blindness. Smell andtaste are also much changed.
Several types of cancer are directly related tosmoking (mouth, larynx, lung), while others are more likely to occur in smokers. The lung isattacked in a cumulative way by smoking, leadingto bronchitis, pneumonia and reaching the pulmonary emphysema.
Quitting smoking improves the quality of life of theperson and all around. Smell and taste arerestored. The risk of heart disease goes down: Ayear without smoking the halves, in ten years without smoke, reaches the level of those whonever smoked.
Claudia is Schwanz Orfaliais pulmonologist /pediatrician with a degree and expertise at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro