The health effects of smoking cigarettes are horribly destructive and in many cases, deadly. Approximately 7000 chemicals, have been identified in cigarettes and cigarette smoke to date, 250 of which are poisonous and 70, carcinogenic. Science is far from finished in its exploration of the composition of manufactured tobacco products, and the chemical count is still increasing.
The ingredients and additives in cigarettes affect everything from the internal functioning of organs to the efficiency of the body’s immune system.
- Cigarette Additives What They Are and What They Do
The health effects of cigarette smoking are destructive and widespread. Let’s take a closer look at the details about how smoking affects the human body.
Toxic Ingredients in Cigarette Smoke
The chemicals in cigarette smoke are inhaled into the lungs and from there travel throughout the body, causing damage in numerous ways.
- Nicotine reaches the brain in 7 to 10 seconds after smoke is inhaled. Nicotine has been found in every part of a smoker’s body, including breast milk.
- Carbon monoxide, which is present in cigarette smoke, binds to hemoglobin in red blood cells, preventing these cells from carrying all of the oxygen they normally would. This can lead to symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Cancer causing agents (carcinogens) in tobacco smoke damage important genes that control the growth of cells, causing them to grow abnormally or to reproduce too rapidly. Seventy such cancer causing chemicals have been identified in cigarette smoke to date.
- Smoking affects how the immune system functions by causing oxidative stress. This in turn causes DNA mutation, setting the stage for cancer and heart disease. Oxidative stress is also thought to be a contributor to the aging process. Antioxidants are nature’s way of combating the damage oxidative stress causes to the body’s cells. Smokers have less antioxidants in their blood than nonsmokers.
- Smoking is associated with higher levels of chronic inflammation, another damaging process that may result in oxidative stress.
- Cigarette smoke contains radioactive heavy metals that “stick” to the tar that collects in the lungs of smokers. Over time, this builds up and is believed to be one of the risk factors for lung cancer in smokers.
Read more about the hazardous chemicals present in tobacco smoke
- Harmful Chemicals in Cigarette Smoke
Increased Health Risks Associated with Smoking
Smokers face a substantial increase in risk for a number of diseases over those who don’t smoke
- Coronary Heart Disease 2 to 4 times
- Stroke 2 to 4 times
- Lung cancer risk for men 23 times
- Lung cancer risk for women 13 times
- COPD related death 12 to 13 times
Cigarette Smoking and Death
- In the United States, cigarette smoking accounts for approximately 440,000 deaths a year. Globally, 5 million souls are lost to tobacco use annually, and if current trends continue, that number is expected to increase to 8 million by the year 2030.
- If no one smoked, cancer deaths in the U.S. would decrease by one third.
- Lung cancer is largely a smoker’s disease 90% of men and 80% of women who succumb to lung cancer smoked.
- COPD related deaths are also primarily caused by smoking, with 90% of these deaths traced back to cigarettes.
- Tobacco use is responsible for more deaths each year in the U.S. than all of the following combined
- HIV
- Murder
- Suicide
- Motor vehicle injuries
- Alcohol use
- Illegal drug use
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the world today. Were it not for the addiction to nicotine, no one would willingly inhale any of these toxins into their body and put their health at such great risk.
If you are still smoking, please look through the resources below. They will provide not only a map of how to put smoking behind you for good, they will inspire you to get started now.
- Your Quit Smoking Toolbox
- Smoking Cessation Support Forum
Don’t offer another minute of your life to this addiction that leads only to debilitating disease and death.
Quit smoking now.
Sources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking. Accessed August 2013.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking and Tobacco Use Fast Facts. /#toll. Accessed August 2013.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Frequently Asked Questions about Polonium 210. Accessed August 2013.
National Institutes of Health. Lead 210 in Tobacco and Cigarette Smoke. Accessed August 2013.
E cigarette reviews 2014
Smokeys discount cigarettes – layton – tabaqueria
We’ve reviewed a TON of e cigarette brands and e tailers, and a couple of them stand out for us.
Our number one pick of all e cigs is V2 Cigs.
First and foremost we love their flavors, especially their red flavor for you Marlboro smokers. They have a nice flavor selection (not too many), and we enjoy most all of their flavors, including menthol, chocolate, coffee and things like their special or seasonal flavors such as pumpkin spice or cola.
These are the devices we highly recommend especially for someone new to or just considering electronic cigarettes, as they are our pick to the closest to the real thing. Then there are some nice options available with their flavors and accessories.
You can visit them at their site and buy direct.
Before heading to their site, if you are like us and enjoy saving money, be sure to use one of our V2 coupon codes here.
If you are looking for a more advanced vaping device, check out VaporZone. These guys have a sick selection of eGo style and variable voltage batteries, and and incredible selection of e juice, with way over 20,000 possible flavor mixes with their customizeable blends.
Visit them at and if you want to save cash on your purchase, use our VaporZone discount here.
You can’t go wrong with either of these two companies.
Here’s a bit more about aspects of e cigs we review
Gimmicks
Are e cigs green? Do they light up when you smoke?
First of all, e cigs are all greener than regular cigarettes. If one firm advertises its environmental friendliness as though it is greener than the rest, test that suggestion by reading more about it. Unless they have invented biodegradable batteries, the most they can offer is a recycling program, although that is a step in the right direction.
Generally speaking, e smoking is better for the environment. Scientists cannot tabulate the effects on nature of butts being dropped on the ground, at least not with certainty.
They can say that e cigs are also more pleasant in the environment, with no smells or ash. In fact, e cigs are not classified the same as traditional cigarettes and can be used in some places where smoking is banned, at least for now, as regulators are clamping down on it.
The grey, lethal looking cloud created by smoking a burning ember is absent. Nothing burns in an e cig nicotine is heated. This is true of all e cigs by definition.
Colors
Certain companies market their products to men. They offer a few color choices, but they either make a cig look like an old fashioned rollup or are they lack vibrancy. Older smokers who dislike the idea of a lime green product might choose these.
Other cigs are designed for women and some are marketed towards men. Shades include varieties of purple, pink, blue, and green.
Power
One of the biggest issues you have after flavor when switching is battery power. If an electronic product cannot keep its charge long enough or the battery only gives 100 puffs, that could be a bit of maintenance.
Battery power is affected by size. If you want a sleek looking mini e cig with a slim profile, you get less power. It is still decent, but you should expect to use it less or charge it more. Bigger batteries obviously have more juice in them and go on longer.
Most kits come with different battery sizes, and some companies, such as Halo Cigs, carry a substantially larger battery that has a much longer life.
Starter Kits
Just about every company creates a starter kit. This is a selection of everything you need to get started. If she were to buy each piece separately, the consumer would pay more than if she bought them as a package. Every company makes this different in some way. Certain ones simplify the issue by creating two versions of the same package. Others add one or two items to sweeten the deal on increasingly bigger, more expensive kits.
A number of firms such as V2 and South Beach offer the option of a Power Cig as a taste testing idea. Try this, with its USB connection, and find out what it feels like to smoke vapor instead of tobacco smoke. If you like the way it feels and are impressed by the company, buy the basic starter kit which does not include a Power Cig.
Kits usually come with a number of flavor cartridges, a USB adaptor, wall charger, and one or two batteries.
Flavors and Nicotine
You know there is power in their battery. Colors suit your personality. Now you have to try a brand’s flavors to be sure this is the right product.
This is for most people the most important factor, and it typically trumps the price, just like with analogues where most people will splurge for Newports or Marlboros over something close that is cheaper.
Each manufacturer carries at least two, possibly as many as four types of tobacco. Versions like Turkish Tobacco are common, and there is often one to simulate the flavor of unfiltered cigarettes. Menthol is also a typical option.
Gourmet flavors are usually part of the menu too. They sound like assorted candies cherry, peach, pina colada, passion fruit, and grape. Coffee, mocha, mint chocolate, and vanilla are a few others. If you like menthol but want a change, try mint tea or peppermint.
You probably smoke mostly for the nicotine, and this is an ingredient inside of the cartridges to refill your e cigs. Choose from a low dose to 2.4%, or even 4.5% in the case of NJOY, or try to wean from nicotine with 0% if you want to cut back.
Read customer impressions of vapor strength. Some products are consistent, while there is a tapering effect from others.
Modded E Cigs
E cig mods are a pretty vast category that is growing like crazy, and is left a bit open for interpretation. Pictured to the right is something that looks like it could come out of NASA, but it is an upgraded battery, and the battery features a variable voltage option.
On top of that is a tank system, which is about the top third of it, where you can see some e cig juice and a black mouth piece up top.
A modded cig like this serves the same function as a standard sized e cig, just with much more horsepower and battery longevity.
There are different sized tanks, and other upgraded batteries, many of them are known as an eGo style battery.
A combination of a tank and an upgraded battery is typically the next big step for anyone looking to get a modded, more powerful cig that lasts longer, and as a nice gateway to the world of mods, which is a lifestyle and hobby for lots of vapers out there.