Smoking
Smoking is “hateful to the nose, harmful to the
brain, and dangerous to the lungs.” This was the view of England’s king James I
in 1604. For long afterward, smoking was considered harmless. Today, more and
more people agree with King James.
TOBACCO AND NICOTINE
Smoking means breathing the smoke of burning
tobacco leaves. Tobacco is a plant.
Tobacco is processed for smoking in different ways.
People smoke tobacco in pipes, cigars, and cigarettes.
Tobacco smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals. One of
them is nicotine. In large amounts, nicotine is a poison. In small amounts in
the human body, nicotine stimulates the nerves. It makes the heart beat faster.
Nicotine is highly addictive. This means that
smokers become dependent on its effect as a stimulant. When this effect
wears off, the body strongly desires more. That is why people who smoke find it
hard to stop.
HISTORY
Native Americans smoked tobacco as long as 2,000 years
ago. Explorer Christopher Columbus saw them smoking in 1492. His crew brought
tobacco to Europe. European sailors spread it around the world. Some people
believed then that smoking could cure diseases. By 1600, people smoked mainly
for enjoyment.
Cigarettes were invented in Europe. They did not become
popular until the 1800s. They were expensive because people had to make them by
hand. Then a cigarette-rolling machine was invented.
In the 1940s, doctors began to notice connections
between smoking and lung cancer and other diseases. They began to study the
chemicals in cigarette smoke. Many of these chemicals were found to cause
cancer. A group of scientists prepared a report for the United States
government in 1964. The report declared cigarette smoking to be a serious
health danger.
Since then, smoking in the United States has
greatly declined. Health warnings appear on cigarette packages. Smoking is
banned on most airline flights. It is banned from many offices and public
places.
SMOKING AND HEALTH
Cancer experts say that cigarettes kill hundreds of
thousands of Americans every year. Lung cancer kills more Americans than any
other kind of cancer. Smokers are 20 times more likely than nonsmokers to
develop lung cancer.
Smokers also are at greater risk for other
forms of cancer and other lung diseases. Mothers who smoke can injure the
health of their babies.
Quitting smoking greatly lowers the chances of dying
from diseases caused by smoking.
