Knowledge about the dangers of cigarettes has been known for years, and the effect of second hand smoke has been most recently discovered. Smoking causes many controversies because of freedom of choice. It is believed by many people that smoking shouldn’t be aloud in public places due to the harshness of second hand smoke. There are two kinds of second hand smoke, mainstream which is the smoke exhaled from a person, and side stream smoke which is the smoke from the end of a lit cigarette. (www.cancerwise.org). Smokers say that the smoke wont hurt anyone, if they only knew.

"When calling attention to public health problems, we must not misuse the word 'epidemic' but there is no other word to describe the 600% increase since 1950 in woman's death rates for lung cancer, a disease primarily caused by smoki

ng" Dr. Satcher (U.S. Surgeon General) on tobacco and cancer. (www.cancerwise.org). What Dr. Satcher is talking about is how much the rate for the number of women smoking in the 1950s and the year 2004. It was estimated that in the year 2002 154,000 Americans would die from lung cancer. (www.smokinglungs.com). "If we eliminated tobacco use today, we would see one-third of all cancers disappear, the real tragedy is that women are dying of a disease that can be prevented" Dr. Gritz. (www.cancerwise.org). She is talking about how lung cancer is a disease that can be prevented by eliminating the usage of tobacco. Over 80% of all lung cancer deaths, are caused from smoking. (www.ash.org). One- third of our population is at risk for lung cancer along with other cancers caused by smoking. Other cancers caused from smoking include: cancers of the mouth, tongue, throat, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, bladder and kidney. Not only can you get cancer from smoking but you can also get coronary heart disease. (www.smokinglungs.com).

What keeps a person smoking? Nicotine, that’s what. "Nicotine is a powerful and addictive stimulant drug that dramatically affects mood and behavior." Dr. Gritz. She is saying that nicotine will affect the way a person acts. It is powerful and addictive. She also stated in the same report, "Nicotine has been compared with cocaine and heroin it its capacity to addict, and studies have shown that tobacco use is not a habit, but an addiction." (www.cancerwise.org). Smoking is an addiction, not something to do for fun. It is a serious and horrible thing to do.

Coronary heart disease is defined as: diseases and injuries of the heart, the blood vessels of the heart, and the system of blood vessels throughout the body and within the brain. (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hecs-sesc/tobacco/facts/health_facts/heart_disease.html). Dr. Sashi says: "Inhaled tobacco smoke damages the endothelium of the arteries and accelerates the arterioscl

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