Carcinogen is a substance that potentially causes carcinogenesis or oncogenesis, which is the process where in the healthy cells undergo series of genetic and cellular alterations which will transform it into cancer cells.

Carcinogen

Tobacco contains an addictive drug called nicotine. Nicotine is a toxic substance that stimulates the circulatory system and central nervous system which leads to an increase in the blood pressure of a person.

Nicotine

Aside from nicotine, tobacco also contains tar. Tar is a cancer-causing substance that is characterized as a dark viscous fluid that is caused by burning the tobacco.

Tar

Leukoplakia is a condition in which thick, white or grayish, leather-like patches develop on the inside of the mouth. This condition increases the risk of having oral cancer.

B. Oral cancer

Tobacco use is detrimental to one’s health causing cardiovascular conditions. Nicotine is a stimulant that causes constrictions in the blood vessels and it also contributes to the plaque accumulation in the arteries which can cause arteriosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries. And continuous blockade of plaque increases the risk of heart attack.

B. Increase heart rate, hardened arteries, increase risk of heart attack

The short-term effects of tobacco use includes the changes in brain chemistry, increase in heart rate and respiration, reduced appetite and physical changes, like yellow teeth. On the other hand, the long-term effects of smoking include damages in the respiratory, circulatory, and cardiovascular system, such as lung cancer and heart attack.

D. Increased heart rate

The immediate effects of tobacco use include brain chemistry alterations, increases heart rate and respiration rate, and physiologic changes, such as yellow teeth. On the other hand, the long-term effects of tobacco consumption include weak immune system, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and respiratory problems, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Long-term tobacco use could also lead to lung cancer.

D. Increased heart rate

Smokeless tobacco, also know as “spit”, is a tobacco product that is consumed through sniffing or chewing. And this is not a safer alternative for cigarette smoking, because when the nicotine and carcinogens in smokeless tobacco are consumed through nasal or oral, the absorption rate of these toxic substances increases and later results to higher amount of nicotine in the blood compared to the amount of nicotine from a cigarette.

Smokeless tobacco, also known as “spit”, is a tobacco product that is consumed through sniffing or chewing. And this is not a safer alternative for cigarette smoking, because when the nicotine and carcinogens in smokeless tobacco are consumed through nasal or oral, the absorption rate of these toxic substances increases and later results into higher amount of nicotine in the blood compared to the amount of nicotine from a cigarette.

Decades of use of tobacco products pose public health dangers. Over time, using tobacco products could potentially damage the person’s respiratory and cardiovascular system and even other organs in the body. The long-term health hazards of tobacco use include chronic bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer, heart attack, stroke, and even a weakened immune system. Cancer develops when a specific organ was damaged and the abnormal production of the cells in the body continuously grows to form a mass of tissues called a tumor.

Smoking for a decade or so causes a higher risk of developing cancer, because smoking for a long period of time will damage the lungs’ bronchi to the point that difficulties in expelling mucus occurs. This causes cells to abnormally multiply resulting to a blockade in the bronchi which latter spreads into the lungs.

Nicotine causes an increased risk of having stroke through contributing in the accumulation of plaques along the blood vessels and these blockade can harden the arteries, this condition is called arteriosclerosis. Stroke occurs when the arteries became clogged which slows the blood flow to the brain.

Nicotine increases the risk of having stroke through contributing to plaque formation in the blood vessels that can lead to arteriosclerosis which results into having clogged arteries and reduced blood flow to the brain.

People who decided to smoke affects the health of the people around them because of the possible exposures of other people to environmental tobacco smoke or secondhand smoke which contains toxic substances, like nicotine and carbon monoxide, that are detrimental to a person’s physical and psychological health, especially to non-smokers.

Kate’s decision to smoke affects other people because of the possible exposure of non-smokers to the environmental tobacco smoke that came from the burning end of Kate’s cigarette and the smoke she exhaled when smoking.

The use of tobacco has a great impact on the social life of a tobacco user. When a person is smoking, it tends to produce environmental tobacco smoke which happens to be hazardous to human health. Therefore, other people, especially non-smokers, would avoid being associated with tobacco users, not only because of its health risks but also because of the discomfort and stress that they feel when they inhaled the tobacco smoke. Tobacco products also change and even damages the physical attributes of a smoker, which can be a reason for them to have low self-esteem and they might be judged by other people.

Tobacco use have an impact in the social life of a tobacco user because smoking cigarettes could make other people uncomfortable and stressed due to the awful smell of the secondhand smoke, therefore, they tend to avoid the tobacco user. Also, tobacco affects the smoker’s physical characteristics which result in low self-esteem.

Nicotine withdrawal is a condition that occurs when a tobacco user stops using tobacco products wherein emotional, mental, and physical symptoms develop. The body of a tobacco user had been dependent on the nicotine produced from cigarettes, and a sudden end of using tobacco can lead to nicotine withdrawal symptoms like headache and dizziness.

Nicotine withdrawal

Nicotine substitute is a product that can be in the form of nasal spray, lozenges, inhaler, gum or patch. These products help ease nicotine withdrawal symptoms during ending tobacco habits through releasing limited amounts of nicotine into the smoker’s circulatory system.

Nicotine substitute

A tobacco cessation program is a course that would help tobacco users to quit using tobacco products by providing beneficial information that would educate and guide users in quitting tobacco use.

Tobacco cessation program

Practicing refusal statements is one of the strategies to avoid tobacco use. When you refuse to smoke cigarette, be assertive and explain what are the reasons why you don’t want to smoke. These reasons may include the high cost of cigarettes and its health risks.

A. Practicing refusal statements

Tobacco use among teenagers damages the organs inside the body which possibly cause health problems. Dependence on tobacco may also lead into developing other vices, like drinking of alcoholic beverages and the use of illegal drugs. Additionally, tobacco use is a high cost maintenance for someone under the age of 18. These are some of the reasons why teenagers should quit tobacco use.

D. They will experience health problems

Nicotine withdrawal symptoms occur when a nicotine dependent tobacco user decided to stop using tobacco products. The person will experience physical, emotional and mental symptoms during the process, since the nicotine in the person’s circulatory system is no longer present.

B. They are experiencing nicotine withdrawal

Tobacco use has detrimental effects to everyone’s health. And in order for the smokers to successfully quit tobacco use, they should join support groups that will guide them throughout the quitting process. They should also avoid situations that would trigger them to use tobacco. They should keep their minds busy with other things, such as physical activities. And lastly, they should develop new daily routines and plan for their healthy meals.

C. Model adults who smoke

People gain health benefits when they avoid using tobacco products. There will be a lower possible health risk in acquiring several diseases if the person does not use tobacco, because their body wouldn’t have thousands of toxic substances that could damage their respiratory system and other organs which will let them live a healthy, comfortable life.

C. Lower risk of many diseases

The reason why tobacco users quit their tobacco habits is due to the fact that they started to have health problems, such as asthma. Additionally, tobacco users, especially those who have children living with them, decides to quit, because of the possible dangers of environment tobacco smoke to their children and the other people around them. And because of the harmful effects of ETS, the social life of the tobacco user could be affected. Another reason for quitting tobacco use is that they already noticed that consuming tobacco products would cost them a great amount of money and tobacco use could lead to other vices, like drinking alcoholic beverages and using illegal drugs. And because of these possibilities, instead of spending their money on these products, they decided to use it on the things that are beneficial to them.

The reasons why tobacco user quit their tobacco habit is because of the health problems that they are getting from tobbaco use, their realizations that ETS could harm their loved ones and the people around them which would later affect their social life, and instead of spending a lot of money in tobacco, they have decided to spend it on the things that would benefit them.

The tobacco use among teenagers decreased after 1998, because according to the Surgeon General’s report about tobacco, the scientific evidence regarding the health consequences of using tobacco products increased significantly. This leads to a legal settlement between the 46 U.S. states and the tobacco companies. This settlement required the tobacco companies to allocate funds to include advertisements that would prevent minors from using and purchasing tobacco products. Furthermore, it also states that a person under the age of 18 is prohibited from procuring tobacco products.

The tobacco use among teenagers decreased after 1998, because of the legal settlement between the tobacco companies and 46 states that implements the funding of advertisements that could prevent teenagers from tobacco use. It also included the policy that minors are not allowed to purchase tobacco products.

There are many possible reasons why some teenagers use tobacco. One of which is the misconceptions about smoking cigarettes that negate its health consequences. Teenagers tend to think that smoking would help them ease their stress from academics and would help them reduce weight. Some of them have wrong perceptions about smoking because there are several stereotypes about smokers, like if someone smoke, he/she looks kind of cool and independent. Some teenagers uses tobacco products because of the influences coming from several media advertisements and movies. Having parents who smokes and even peer pressure could encourage teenagers to use tobacco products. But on the other hand, there also teenagers who chose not to smoke tobacco. They prefer to avoid the use of tobacco, because they are aware of the health consequences of tobacco use. And because of the guidance of their parents through educating them about their family values taught them to distinguish the right things to do from the wrong ones. Lastly, they already learned how to refuse and avoid peer pressure.

Some teenagers chose to use tobacco, because of the misconceptions regarding smoking cigarettes and the stereotypes that describe smokers as cool and independent individuals. Peer pressure and different types of media also influences teenage use of tobacco. On the other hand, there are still teenagers who chose not to smoke because of its health risks. Also, they have good influences from their family and friends.

Tobacco users that quit using tobacco products tend to experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Due to the dependence on tobacco, nicotine withdrawal could cause physiological and psychological symptoms which include anxiety, stress, and cravings for tobacco. These symptoms could affect the willingness of the smoker to quit using tobacco. Also, the lack of support group and encouragement from other people could impose difficulties in quitting tobacco use, because it takes a long period of time and patience in order to quit smoking successfully, and doing it without other people’s help and guidance could lead to a harder process of being tobacco-free.

The two reasons that teen tobacco users find quitting tobacco use difficult is due to nicotine withdrawal and lack of support and encouragement.

There are several strategies to successfully quit tobacco use. This includes preparation for the day to quit using tobacco, seeking guidance and help from support groups and replacing tobacco habbits with healthy ones. In order to prepare for the day to quit tobacco use, a start date should be set and prepare a thorough comprehensive plan of the things to be done during the process of quitting. Inform and seek guidance from the people around you, like family and friends. It is also possible to join a support group that would provide you assistance and additional information regarding quitting tobacco use. Also, it is beneficial to seek for a doctor’s advice and enroll in a tobacco cessation program. And lastly, replace tobacco use habits with healthy ones by distracting your mind with other activities, such as exercising.

A person can quit tobacco use successfully by preparing a plan, seeking guidance from other people and replacing tobacco use with various habbits that would be beneficial to his health.

Environmental tobacco smoke, also known as secondhand smoke, is consists of mainstream and sidestream smoke. Mainstream smoke comes from the exhaled tobacco smoke for the lungs of the smoker. While sidestream smoke is the smoke produced by the end of the cigarette is burned.

Secondhand smoke

Mainstream smoke is an environment tobacco smoke that comes from the exhaled tobacco smoke from the lungs of the smoker. On the other hand, sidestream smoke is produced when the other end of the cigarette is burned.

Mainstream smoke

Sidestream smoke is the smoke that is produced by the burning end of the tobacco product. Sidestream smoke contains thousands of toxic chemical compounds which include more than 50 carcinogens, while mainstream smoke only contains low concentrations of tar, nicotine, and carcinogens. Therefore, sidestream smoke has a higher concentration of toxic compounds than mainstream smoke.

Sidestream smoke

Smoking during pregnancy affects the developing fetus, because when the placenta absorbed the nicotine from the tobacco, the fetus’ blood vessels constrict resulting to low concentrations of nutrients being absorbed by the fetus which could lead to premature delivery and impaired fetal growth. The carbon monoxide from tobacco will also lower the oxygen levels in the blood of the fetus. And these toxic substances could contribute to various fetal development problems and could cause prenatal death or sudden infant death syndrome.

B. High birth weight

In order to minimize the health risks of environmental tobacco smoke exposure, avoid being associated with tobacco users or stay on a different area from the smoker. If someone smokes in your family, persuade them to quit smoking. Inform them the health consequences of tobacco use and ETS smoke. Make your home a smoke-free zone. And if smoking cannot be avoided in the house, ask the smokers to go outside if they are going to smoke cigarettes. You can use air cleaners that can help eliminate air contaminants from the cigarettes or you can open the windows to allow better circulation of air. In public places, make sure to be in a smoke-free environment and if you are in a restaurant, politely ask them to place you in a non-smoking area.

D. Visit places that are smoke-free.

According to the medical research of the Surgeon General, the risks of having health-related problems with the use of tobacco products increased substantially. And because of this, the state governments established a law that states that a person under the age of 18 is prohibited from purchasing tobacco products and that smoking in public places is banned to avoid immense ETS exposure. It also required tobacco companies to include advertisements that would prevent teenagers from using tobacco.

A. Banning smoking in public places.

Environmental tobacco smoke is consist of mainstream and sidestream smoke that contain thousands of toxic substances, including nicotine, tar and carcinogens. ETS can cause various physiological problems, especially in infants and children. These health conditions from ETS exposure include respiratory and heart diseases, lung cancer, growth development problems and ETS could even lead to the fetus or infants’ death.

D. All of the above

Children’s health can be significantly affected by environmental tobacco smoke. Children from tobacco users tend to have a higher chance of acquiring infections and respiratory conditions. Also, ETS can decrease the rate of the children’s lung development. Therefore, if the tobacco user parents decided to quit smoking, their children’s health would have the chance to recover from the damaging effects of ETS. Parents’ quitting tobacco means a reduced exposure to ETS for their children. Less ETS exposure can decrease the children’s possibility to acquire health-related complications due to tobacco use. The immune system of the children could also recover and strengthen upon a period of time, and this will fight off foreign substances that could infect the body.

If the tobacco user parents decided to stop smoking, it would be beneficial to their children’s health because the exposure of the children from ETS would decrease. Low exposure to ETS can lessen the probability to acquire health-related risks from tobacco use. This could also let the immune system of the children to recover and strengthen from the damage of ETS which prevents infections.

Refusing into being exposed to tobacco use and environmental tobacco smoke is somewhat challenging for a teenager, but there are possible strategies that might help in this kind of refusal. One of which is to be assertive when refusing a possible exposure to ETS and justify the reason why you do not want to be exposed to ETS through explaining to others that you do not want to develop health-related conditions caused by tobacco use and ETS exposure. Speak up and be honest about your health choices.

If your friend invite you over for dinner, but you know that your friend’s parent smokes, you could decline your friend’s invitation to come over and explain your reason in a honest and non-offensive way.

In order to promote public policies that support a smoke-free environment, every people in the community must be educated about the health-related consequences of tobacco use and the detrimental effects of environmental tobacco smoke among the children and non-smokers in the community. Banning of smoking in public places is necessary to reduce ETS. Be the role model in the community and avoid tobacco use. Form a support group for the tobacco users, in order for them to successfully quit smoking. These support groups can provide help and guidance throughout the quitting process. Discuss useful strategies to avoid tobacco use and how to successfully quit smoking. Plan and implement community activities that could distract smokers and other people from using tobacco products.

To promote public policies that support a smoke-free environment, you must be a role model to others and avoid tobacco use. Form a support group for smokers and other people that would guide and educate them about the health risks of tobacco use and ETS exposure, and discuss strategies to avoid tobacco use. Lastly, make activities that set as a distraction for the smokers.

The Healthy People 2010 program that the Department of Health and Human Services launched on January 2000 has the main goal of lessen tobacco use in the U.S. and decrease the mortality rate because of several tobacco-induced diseases. This program initiates a movement to establish a smoke-free society in order to eliminate health disparities and to increase the people’s quality and duration of life. This program allowed the society to come up with activities that could promote healthy lifestyle in the community through encouraging others to avoid tobacco use and educating them the health consequences of tobacco use, especially for the children.

The Healthy People 2010 program promotes health through implementing guidelines to establish a smoke-free society in every U.S. state and this program implements community activities that could reduce and avoid tobacco use.

Environmental tobacco smoke or secondhand smoke is the smoke produced by the burning end of the tobacco (sidestream smoke) and the smoke being exhaled from the smoker’s lungs (mainstream smoke). Sidestream smoke contains thousands of toxic chemicals that could damage the physiological health of a person, like respiratory diseases. Mainstream smoke contains a low amount of nicotine and tar. Nicotine can cause heart and respiratory diseases, while tar is a carcinogen. Therefore, even though a person is not smoking, he/she will still be at risk of tobacco-related conditions if he/she has several exposures from ETS or tobacco use.

Jim’s friends should be worried about their health because their extensive exposure to the environmental tobacco smoke that comes from Jim’s cigarette could possibly cause damaging effects on their health. ETS contains thousands of toxic substances that include cancer-causing substances and low concentrations of tar and nicotine.