Why is Smoking Bad?
Smoking can cause many health problems for people late in life. Diseases such as lung disease, heart disease cancer and stroke all result from smoking. More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.
Smoking causes the following cancers: Acute myeloid leukemia, Bladder cancer, Cancer of the cervix, Cancer of the esophagus, Kidney cancer, Cancer of the larynx (voice box), Lung cancer, Cancer of the oral cavity (mouth), Pancreatic cancer, Cancer of the pharynx (throat) and Stomach cancer. If you still want a cigarette after hearing this I feel bad for you.
Smoking as Teens
Nearly 25% of all high school students smoke cigarettes. What they don't realize is that the earlier you start the harder it is to quit and the more severe the health effects become. Also teens that smoke are more likely to drink alcohol and use illegal drugs as well. Every day, almost 3,900 children under 18 years of age try their first cigarette, and more than 950 of them will become new, regular daily smokers.Effects of Second Hand Smoke
Secondhand smoke causes numerous health problems in infants and children, including severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Some of the health conditions caused by secondhand smoke in adults include heart disease and lung cancer. Secondhand smoke causes an estimated 46,000 premature deaths from heart disease each year in the United States among nonsmokers. Secondhand smoke causes an estimated 3,400 lung cancer deaths among U.S. nonsmokers each year. Studies show that older children whose parents smoke get sick more often. Their lungs grow less than children who do not breathe secondhand smoke, and they get more bronchitis and pneumonia. Secondhand smoke can trigger an asthma attack in a child. Children with asthma who are around secondhand smoke have more severe and frequent asthma attacks. A severe asthma attack can put a child's life in danger.