The Costs of Smoking Essay - 1250 Words

The Costs of Smoking It has now been more than 50 years since Richard Doll and Bradford Hills discovery linking tobacco smoking with lung cancer has been published. Their conclusion that â€Å"smoking is a factor â€Å" (1), that causes the production of carcinoma of the lung has been confirmed by many further studies done by different scientists throughout the world. These studies have also ascertained connection between smoking and heart dieases, cancer (especially lung cancer), bronchitis, organ failure, indigestion. In my essay I will discuss the costs of smoking in terms of health care associated with tobacco-related illness and the fact that a smoker’s quality of life is reduced and life span†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"This increases heart rate and blood pressure and decreases the blood supply to the extremities - for example, the hands and feet.†(2). Therefore smoker are more likely to suffer from heart disease than people who do not smoke. * Nicotine also affects the platelets by making them stickier which, â€Å"can lead to an increased risk of blood clots forming.†(3). 2. Carbon monoxide:  · Carbon monoxide is a gas that diffuses across the alveoli and is absorbed into blood.  · In the blood it combines directly with haemoglobin inside the red blood cells and so forms carboxyhaemoglobin.  · This means that the hemoglobin is stopped from becoming fully saturated and therefore there is less hemoglobin available to carry oxygen (â€Å"it carries 5-10% less oxygen† (4)).  · So basically someone who smokes heavily and inhales up to 1/5 of his hemoglobin is combined with carbon monoxide instead of oxygen!  · It also damages the heart because it supplies the heart with less oxygen and more carbon monoxide can harm the linings of arteries. As well as cutting down the amount of oxygen supply in the blood, this gas also makes body cells less able to absorb oxygen from the blood andShow MoreRelatedThe Cost Of Smoking Cigarettes1833 Words   |  8 Pagesare pivotal in generating more than half of the money they earned from exports, $165 million. So, would we be doing more harm than good by banning the smoking of cigarettes? When investigating the true cost of smoking cigarettes there is an overwhelming amount of research into the multiple effects smoking has on health. The smoke inhaled when smoking a cigarette contains 4,000 compounds which often leave toxic traces in the lungs and other organs. This is one of the biggest contributing factors asRead MoreEssay on The Costs of Cigarette Smoking.888 Words   |  4 PagesThe Costs of Cigarette Smoking Cigarette smoking causes a variety of life threatening diseases, including lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease. In the UK about 120,000 people die each year due to smoking. 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