The phrase "the Ministry of Health warns: smoking is dangerous to your health" is so popular that it is familiar to everyone since childhood. The reason for this is its presence not only on packs of cigarettes, but also on campaign posters, in tobacco advertising. The degree of “danger” in the modern world varies from poor complexion to a malignant tumor of organs.
However, the number of smokers on planet Earth is only increasing every year. The question arises whether smoking is really dangerous to health.
Some historical facts
Tobacco smoking came to Europe from America. The Indians grew bushes of this plant and, after appropriate treatment, smoked leaves. In the modern process of manufacturing cigarettes, there is no production waste in the form of tobacco stems. It is worth noting that Columbus did not appreciate the gift of a bush of dry leaves, and the first "smokers" who appeared in Europe paid for their addiction with imprisonment (the Inquisition considered the presence of "unclean" puffs of smoke produced by smokers). Since 1531, tobacco began to be grown on plantations in Spain.
Penetration of tobacco into Europe began with a "high" society, since only wealthy people could afford to buy it. Of the women, only Parisian prostitutes smoked openly. The attitude of the state and the church towards the “addictive” habit of citizens changed as the profitability of such a phenomenon as “tobacco monopoly” became aware.
The decisive struggle between the tobacco monopolies for the consumer was the First World War, when free cigarettes were included in the soldiers rations. Naturally, the calculation was made on the "gain" of regular customers. After the war, the first studies were conducted on the side effects of smoking among soldiers. Cases of lung cancer were ten times higher than in the civilian population. The scientific community has known that nicotine is a “dangerous poison” for about a hundred years, but this did not interfere with the development of the tobacco industry.
Tobacco as a cure for migraine
Initially, Europeans drew attention to the medicinal properties of a strange plant, and it was sold in pharmacies as a remedy for migraines, toothache, hysteria and other diseases. In those days, tobacco was sniffed, chewed, made tinctures, since only a few could afford to smoke “twisted tobacco leaves”. As you know, any medicine in unlimited quantities turns into poison. In addition, the effect of nicotine on the human body has not been studied with uncontrolled methods. Perhaps due to this historical use of the plant by Europeans, in modern society there is an opinion that smoking “calms the nerves” and the phrase “smoking is dangerous to your health” is perceived by consumers as an intrusive teaching. Although, in fact, all the dependencies appear brighter against the background of stress.
Cigars, tobacco, modern cigarettes
As you know, the Indians smoked only the leaves of the plant, but the “white people” did not stop there. Striving for non-waste production and “superprofits”, tobacco companies did not disdain to add various kinds of chemical compounds to cigarettes. In addition, the stems of the plant were processed into tobacco (using chemistry), which led to the era of the flourishing of malignant tumors. Previously it was believed that cigars are a cleaner product than crushed leaves, however, in modern production, tobacco leaves for cigars are treated with the same pesticides. Therefore, it is impossible to say that only nicotine is present in cigars from poisons.
Composition of modern cigarettes
The composition of modern cigarettes is only 50% composed of parts of a plant called tobacco. Laboratory studies have confirmed the presence of phenol, butane (they are also used in the "ripening" of exotic fruits), benzopyrene, cadmium, polonium-210, DDT, ammonia, urethane, tauren, arsen, chlorvinyl and even more than 500 ingredients, the presence of which in only manufacturers know cigarettes.
Nicotine itself is poison. Studies of its effect on a living organism in combination with the substances listed above have not been conducted. It would seem that the answer to the question "why is smoking dangerous to health" is given. The most potent and destructive poisons are collected in a cigarette, and their dosage is far from the drug norm. But there are no fewer smokers , and the list of diseases arising from the use of cigarettes is constantly expanding.
Addiction or habit?
Recent research by scientists confirms that smoking is an addiction that appears on both the physical and psychological plane. Norepinephrine, to be more precise, is a violation of the process of production of this substance in the human body due to smoking. The amount of “artificial” norepinephrine is controlled only by the number of cigarettes smoked, this is the “open gate” for the development of addiction.
It has been proven that smoking can be given provided that the liver, kidneys, and blood are cleansed of the effects of heavy poisons, but often this is not enough. The main role here is already played by psychological dependence, which develops against the background of certain pseudosocial attitudes. As practice shows, getting rid of it is 50% success on the path to life without tobacco. Modern methods and programs successfully cope with this kind of addiction, provided that the person has consciously set a goal - to quit smoking.
Possible consequences
What is the danger of smoking for an adult? First of all, the impact on health. And not the least role is played in this matter by the method of entry into the body - through the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract and lungs. This is the fastest way to deliver substances contained in smoke. Poisons, chemicals, heavy metals accumulate in the body, leading to organic changes in internal organs (not just lungs).
What is the danger of smoking for the state of the cardiovascular system? Studies under the auspices of WHO have established a pattern between the severity of atherosclerosis and smoking (with the simultaneous use of alcohol). Substances of tobacco smoke cause damage to the nerve cells of the heart, which leads to spasms of blood vessels and rhythm disturbance. Cases of atrial fibrillation due to smoking are frequent.
A characteristic disease for smokers is hypertrophy of the right ventricle, which leads to pulmonary-right ventricular failure.
What is the danger of smoking for the respiratory system? First of all, it is chronic bronchitis, which often becomes asthmatic. In smokers of humanity, the possibility of contracting tuberculosis increases 2-4 times. To this can be added a change in the structure of the lung tissue and the occurrence of bronchial cancer.
What is the danger of smoking for other organs? The systematic replenishment of various poisons in the body affects the work of the stomach, endocrine system, changes in hormonal levels, the state of the nervous system, the work of the brain, and the state of bones (mineralization decreases and weight decreases). There are no organs that would not be affected by the effects of smoking.
What is the danger of passive smoking, which is so trying to resist people who are next to smokers? The composition of the smoke of a burning cigarette is different in composition from the smoke in puffs. In the first, there are twice as many different substances, so the passive inhalation of such smoke next to the smoker is equivalent to three smoked cigarettes.
Due to the saturation of cigarette smoke with various toxic substances, it is able to cause coughing, headache, high blood pressure, and exacerbation of chronic diseases in non-smokers. In a smoker's family, non-smokers are 20% more likely to get lung cancer, and if a relative smokes a large number of cigarettes per day, the risk increases to 70%.
Cigarettes and women - is the future possible?
The film industry is stubbornly exploiting the image of a smoking heroine. This, in most cases, affects the self-determination of adolescents. The ban on “hidden” tobacco advertising by the media is justified by the fact that smoking provokes infertility in women. State institutions consider this fact as one of the threats to the demographic situation. What is the danger of smoking during pregnancy? A direct dependence of a large number of pregnancy pathologies on the experience of a smoker was established. Many women, having learned about pregnancy, are trying to quit smoking. But to do this precisely during this period is dangerous - such actions provoke a miscarriage by means of a sharp change in the composition of the blood and the occurrence of a “breaking” failure. If a woman has an interest in giving birth to healthy offspring, quitting cigarettes should occur a year or two before the planned pregnancy.
Smoking during pregnancy is fraught with the emergence of nicotine substance abuse in a newborn, various developmental pathologies, fetal hypoxia, as well as an increase in the risk of perinatal mortality up to 28%.
Eysenck's observations
Hans Jürgen Eisenck, in his scientific work, suggested that smoking and lung cancer are symptoms of one of the personality disorders, moreover, of genetic origin. This meant that the owner of such a disorder does not have to smoke in order to get cancer (this is a genetic predisposition). It is enough for such people to “peck at the bait of smoking propaganda” in order to start the mechanism of the disease that is already embedded in them.
But the scientific community refused to accept this state of affairs and accused the scientist of rigging the facts.
In the modern world, "quality tobacco and cigar smoking" is actively promoted under the cover of (distorted) Eisenck's theory, silent about why smoking is dangerous to humans. Taken out of context, the scientist’s phrase about smoking and cancer in such cases only indicates illiteracy of citation and does not close the question of the benefits or dangers of smoking.
Finally
Each person chooses for himself life guidelines, habits and addictions. The main thing is that the people around him should not suffer from the recklessness of one person. If a citizen smokes, then he is simply obliged to do this without harming the health of non-smokers. And it often happens quite the opposite. But, as practice shows, this kind of egoism is curable, however, by not very popular methods.