Cause And Effect Essay On Smoking-Related Disease

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Smoking of cigarette has been identified as the major cause of premature mortality and preventable morbidity worldwide. Every year an estimated 440,000 American lives are claimed by smoking-related diseases. The number include even those who are indirectly affected by smoking such as babies who are prematurely born and victims who are exposed to tobacco’s carcinogens. Over 150 billion US Dollar is spent yearly to cover the health care cost of smoking, another $81.9 billion is budgeted for mortality related loss of productivity and an excess of 75.5 billion is spent on medical expenditure. According to US statistics, an estimated 22.6 million women and 25.6 million men are smokers. Smoking exposes the victims to higher risks of stroke and heart attack. The latest statistics of smokers from various ethnic groups shows that; 25.1 percent of white men and 21.7 percent of white women smoke. Also, among the African Americans 18.0 percent of women and 27.6 percent of men are smokers; among Latinos/Hispanics 12.5 percent of women and 23.2 of men are smokers; among the Asians, 6.9 percent of women and 21.3 percent of men are smokers. This paper will focus on the effects of smoking on health. (US Department of Health and …show more content…

Some of these carcinogens include tar, carbon monoxide, nicotine, ammonia, formaldehyde, benzene, and hydrogen cyanide. Women who are pregnant are at high risk of exposing their babies to these compounds. These chemicals are directly passed to the fetus via the umbilical cord. The physical condition of the mother determines the health of the child. In most cases, babies who are exposed to smoking while in the womb are likely to be born with serious defects. They are born prematurely and are more likely to contract infectious diseases than the normal children. More so, as they grow their intellectual development is greatly affected. (Sabbane, Bellavance & Chebat,

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