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Dangers of Smoking Essay

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For a country in our financial position the general health of Scotland is very poor. In some areas the average life expectancy is as low as 54 years old for men. A major cause of this is smoking. With the young in particular smoking is much more popular than it used to be. In October 2008, it was estimated that one third of 16-24 year olds smoke. This figure is at a 10 year high. In between the ages of 16-19 it is found that girls are more likely to smoke than boys.

This has been recognised as a major issue for the country and there are several things being done to try to stop it, such as the smoking ban in public places which was enforced on March the 26th 2006. It is now illegal to smoke in pubs, clubs and enclosed places. After a …show more content…

There are many dangerous side effects of smoking such as cancer, lung disease, heart failure and much more. There are also some minor effects such as yellow teeth, nicotine stains on fingers, bad breath and your home and body can constantly smell of smoke. Smoking is not only a danger to you but can be to others as well through passive smoking. Inhaling other peoples smoke can cause dizziness, eye irritation, headaches, coughing, nausea and sore throat. It also increases the risk of cot deaths and if a pregnant woman smokes it can affect the baby's development.

In a cigarette there are more than 700 chemical
Additives, some of them can be classed as toxic and are not allowed in food. When lit, a cigarette can reach nearly 2000 degrees Fahrenheit; this helps release 1000's of chemical compounds such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, at least 43 carcinogens and numerous mutagens. These are inhaled into the smoker’s body. The main danger of smoking is nicotine. Nicotine is addictive. It can raise heart rate and blood pressure.

There are many ways to stop smoking. These include nicotine patches, therapy, hypnotherapy, acupuncture and many more. The Government is also making smoking harder and harder to do as they are raising the legal age to 18 and banning smoking adverts in shops. I think that the Government should either raise the price of tobacco or just make tobacco sales illegal altogether. The consequences of smoking

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