The damage caused by Smoking

The Damage caused by smoking:

Tar is a sticky substance in smoke which contains chemical substances called carcinogens. This can cause cancer mostly in the lungs or mouth.

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that reduces the amount of oxygen that red blood cells can carry. A lack of oxygen can cause leg pains when walking.

Carbon monoxide also cause blood vessels to narrow so body cells get even less oxygen and might even die. Dead tissue can get infected and therefore removed. And if the heart muscles get too less oxygen this can cause a heart attack which may kill.

Nicotine is the addictive part of tobacco smoke. Addiction can start as soon as you've had four cigarettes but can last for years, even after you've given up.

It can take many years for smoking to create enough damage in the body to cause death. During which the person will be exposed to many other substances, which makes it hard to prove that smoking was the cause of the death.


Key Words:

Tar
Carcinogens
Carbon monoxide
Nicotine

Questions:

1. What effects do carbon monoxide have on the body?
2. Why do people find smoking hard to give up?
3. Why is it hard to prove smoking is the cause of a death?


What you should Know:

The effects of some chemicals in cigarette smoke, including:
a. Nicotine as a addictive drug
b. Tar as a carcinogen
c. Carbon monoxide reducing the oxygen-carrying ability of the blood.

How to evaluate data relating ot the correlation between smoking and its negative effects on health.