Effects Of Smoking On The Body

6.2 Evaluate The Effects Of Smoking On Body Systems

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The body can be effected in many ways due to smoking, there are over 40 different chemicals in cigarettes and each is harmful in different ways. Looking at the body from top to bottom we begin at the mouth, smoking can cause mouth cancer, gum disease, tooth decay and bad breath, not to mention how the tar discolours our teeth making them yellow. Smoking also causes us to have less oxygen going around the body causing narrowing of the blood vessels to the brain which can then cause a stroke, a smoker may also suffer from a lot of headaches.

When we inhale the chemicals they travel down the chest going through the bronchi, the chemicals then attack the lining of the bronchi causing them inflammation which is what causes the smokers cough. Due to the bronchial being damaged a smoker is more likely to get infections in this area. The smokers cough can get worse by the build up of mucus in the lungs, a smoker is very likely to get lung cancer and also emphysema.

Our heart also gets severally damaged when smoking as we can get high blood pressure and there for we are more likely to get blood clots. The carbon monoxide takes oxygen away from the blood and this then causes a build up of cholesterol deposits on the artery walls, these all then add to the risk of a heart attack. There is also the risk of stroke, loss of circulation in fingers and toes and also a chance of importance.
Other parts of the body system that can be effected by smoking are the digestive system, the chemicals in the cigarettes can cause throat cancer and also oesophagus cancer, smoking also raises the amount of acid secreted therefore we are more susceptible to heart burn and ulcers, smokers also have a higher chance of getting pancreatic cancer. Many of the chemicals that are in cigarettes go out of the system through urine, this then leads to higher risk of developing bladder cancer, this is a cancer that normally is fatal, the kidneys can also be damaged due to high blood pressure.
Overall if you are a smoker you have much higher risk of developing serious illness, cancers and organ failures and you are more likely to die younger than a person who doesn't smoke.