A deadly puff
See 'The truth behid smoking' from Education page E6Lesson by Boon Boonprayoon
When I graduated, Anne, a good friend of mine,
and I took a gap year getting ourselves
ready for studying abroad. We always went out for live jazz on
weekends. In the
bar, jazz lovers enjoyed music while puffing on
cigarettes and cigars. Anne was
one of the smokers. She just started smoking, making excuses that
she was a
second-hand smoker, anyway. It was after almost two years of heavy
smoking that I noticed Anne's deteriorating
health. She became exhausted
easily. Her bright face and moisturized skin became dry and
darkened. She
had hard time
breathing and had a cold every other week. With her asthma
attacks, Anne became very weak and no longer looked so young and bright
as 23
year-old-girl should. I wonder what her health is like now.
When I saw young kinds buying themselves their first pack of cigarettes
at 7-Eleven store in Pattaya a few days ago, I wanted so much to tell
them not too, but I was in no position to do so. Seeing them, I thought
of Anne and could see what it
will be like for these kids. Read today’s article about smoking
and its deadly
effects. You might want to put out that cigarette you just lit up.
making excuses - try to think of reasons for one's behaviour
deteriorating - to become worse
exhuasted - become tired
asthma - a medical condition of the chest that makes breathing difficult
The truth behind smoking
Why Thailand is beginning a banDave Canavan
Carbon monoxide is present in cigarette smoke and binds to our red-blood cells, reducing the cell’s ability to bind with oxygen that is critical for life.
My two friends and I play in a band and at a gig the other day it was refreshing to find that the bar had a non-smoking policy. Not only could I breathe and see better, I also didn’t have the smell of smoke lingering on my clothes and hair, which is often the case. But besides the general unpleasantness of the effects of smoking, my health was not being deteriorated as a result of second hand smoke.
Why so dangerous?
Smoking has certain ingredients that make it dangerous to your health. The main ‘‘hook’’ of smoking and the reason people keep smoking is because of the drug nicotine.
Nicotine is a chemical found in cocoa and tobacco plants, as well as in the tomato and potato in very low quantities. It is a natural insecticide and is used by the plant to prevent it being eaten by insects.
When taken by humans (and other mammals) in low dosages such as in cigarettes, it becomes one of the most addictive drugs in the world. When you are exposed to nicotine, you have a short-term increase in blood pressure and heart rate. It affects your brain and triggers the release of adrenalin which therefore makes nicotine a stimulant. It also increases dopamine levels in the brain which gives the smoker feelings of pleasure.
As well as the chemical effects mentioned, from a psychological point of view it can produce feelings of calmness, alertness and can repress the appetite. These effects are the reason smoking is so addictive, but it is the withdrawal from nicotine where the problems are compounded.
Around 4,000 chemicals
If you smoke regularly, when the nicotine levels in your blood fall, you may experience cravings, anxiety, restlessness, hunger, irritability, and many other unpleasant feelings. The problem is that the symptoms are relieved by having another cigarette, which is where the addictiveness comes in.
If the only way you can feel ‘‘normal’’ is by having a cigarette, then it must be very hard to quit. Sadly, nicotine is not the only danger with cigarettes. Cigarettes also contain tar, and this is one of the main killers.
Tar is a collection of solid particles that smokers inhale and is basically a cocktail of around 4000 chemicals of which over 50 are known carcinogens; the cancer-containing chemicals.
Tar is also responsible for the yellow-brown stains found on many smoker’s teeth, fingers and lungs. Many cigarette companies are trying to produce reduced tar cigarettes, but tar is not the only lethal part of a cigarette.
bind - to stick together or to make things stick together in a solid mass รวมเข้าด้วยกัน
gig - a performance by musicians playing pop music or jazz in front of an audience; a similar performance by a comedian การแสดงดนตรีแจ๊ส
lingering - slow to end or disappear อย่างอ้อยอิ่ง
deteriorate - to become worse ทำให้เสื่อมโทรม ทรุดโทรม
expose to - to put somebody /something in a place or situation where they are not protected from something harmful or unpleasant สูดดมควัน
trigger - to make something happen suddenly; set off จุดชนวน กระตุ้น
stimulant - a drug or substance that makes you feel more awake and gives you more energy สารกระตุ้น
withdrawal - the period of time when somebody is getting used to not taking a drug that they have become addicted to, and the unpleasant effects of doing this (สิ่งเสพติด)
compound - to make something bad become even worse by causing further damage or problems ก่อตัวขึ้น
craving - a strong desire for something ความกระหาย ความอยาก / ปรารถนาอย่างรุนแรง
irritability - the state that you get annoyed easily; showing your anger ความระคายเคือง
come in - to become involved in something มีส่วนเกี่ยวข้อง
inhale - breathe in หายใจเข้า
carcinogen - a substance that can cause cancer สารก่อมะเร็ง
stain - a dirty mark on something , that is difficult to remove คราบ
More deadly chemicals
Cigarettes contain many deadly chemicals as well as those found in tar, including:
• Arsenic -- one of the world’s most dangerous chemicals;
• Benzene -- a known deadly carcinogen;
• Cadmium -- a carcinogen also found in batteries;
• Formaldehyde -- a carcinogen and major lung disease factor;
• Polonium -- a radioactive, and therefore highly dangerous, chemical; and
• Chromium -- yet another carcinogen, and many more.
The chemicals listed above are all carcinogenic, but there are many other chemicals which, although not cancer-causing, are nevertheless incredibly harmful. One main culprit is carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide is present in cigarette smoke and binds to our red-blood cells, reducing the cell’s ability to bind with oxygen that is critical for life. It therefore deprives our body from getting oxygen and can also inhibit our lungs from clearing toxins.
Other harmful substances include the incredibly poisonous and harmful hydrogen cyanide, as well as nitrous oxide and ammonia. Again, as before with the carcinogens, the list goes on.
The Killers
In Britain, smoking related diseases are responsible for about 80 percent of deaths, which I found truly staggering! The seemingly endless list of diseases includes lung cancer, heart disease, mouth, throat, nose, larynx, blood, pancreatic and other cancers, other lung disease, and more.
And the related diseases that don’t kill you will make your life truly miserable. This list is long, but it includes many fertility problems, premature ageing, sexual problems, premature menopause, tooth loss, osteoporosis, reduced sense of smell, cataract, chest infections and, of course, emphysema.
To try and experience emphysema, which can result from a smokers cough due to the alveoli walls breaking down in your lungs resulting in a reduced surface area for gas exchange, take a deep breath and hold it. Now, breathe in that little extra air that you can. Now breathe that little extra air out, then in again, and then out again. This is what breathing is like for someone with emphysema.
Smoking during pregnancy is extremely harmful to the unborn child. Miscarriages, still births and congenital defects are all related to smoking, as well as low birth weight which makes the baby prone to illness and infection.
The filter is not the end
Despite the innumerable health risks with smoking, there are even more issues! The worst I believe is the appalling fact that an estimated six trillion -- that’s 6,000,000,000 --cigarette butts are disposed of worldwide every year!
When a cigarette is flicked out of a car window or dropped in the street, it generally finds its way into the drains. From here it is washed into rivers, which inevitably lead to the sea. Here, many fish, birds and other animals eat the butts and become poisoned by the toxins.
The filter of a cigarette is there to reduce the amount of toxins inhaled by the smoker so these toxins accumulate in the filter, which then manifests in sea creatures. If people only saw the long term effects I’m sure it would be enough for them to be responsible smokers, but it is only aided by Hollywood movies where actors dispose of their butts in the same way.
I honestly have no positive word to say about smoking. I am fortunate that I have never been a smoker, but surely in this day in age nobody should be. Science is here to inform us of the innumerable dangers so people who smoke really are depleting their life. I am just glad Thailand has decided to take a stand.
David Canavan has an MSc in Behavioral Ecology and teaches science, math and ICT at Garden International School. David is fascinated by science and loves animals, especially the dangerous kind; the more dangerous the better. You may contact David at davidc@gardenbangkok.com .
culprit - a person or thing responsible for causing a problem สาเหตุของปัญหา
deprive - to prevent somebody from having or doing something, especially something important ทำให้สูญเสีย
inhibit - to prevent something from happening or make it happen more slowly or less frequently than normal ยับยั้ง
toxin - poisonous
poisonous - causing death or illness if swallowed or absorbed into the body; toxic เป็นพิษ
staggering - so great, shocking or surprising that it is difficult to believe น่าตกใจ ไม่น่าเชื่อ
miserable - very unhappy or uncomfortable เศร้าหมอง
fertility problem - the problem of having difficulty in pregnancy การมีลูกยาก
premature - happening before the normal or expected time ก่อนเวลาอันควร
aging - the process of growing old ชราภาพ
menopause - the time during which a woman gradually stops menstruating, usually at around the age of 50 วัยทอง
osteoporosis - a condition in which the bones become weak and are easily broken, usually when people get older or because they do not eat enough of certain substances โรคกระดูกพรุน
emphysema - a condition that affects the lungs, making it difficult to breathe
อาการผิดปกติอย่างเรื้อรังของปอดโดยที่ถุงลมโป่งพองและขาดการยืดหยุ่น
alveoli wall - one of the many small spaces in each lung where gases can pass into or out of the blood ถุงลม
miscarriage - the process of giving birth to a baby before it is fully developed and able to survive; an occasion when this happens แท้ง
congenital defect - born with a particular illness ความบกพร่องทางร่างกาย หรือ โรคที่เป็นตั้งแต่เกิด
innumerable - too many to count นับไม่ถ้วน
appalling - extremely bad; shocking น่าตกใจ
dispose of - to get rid of somebody /something that you do not want or cannot keep ทิ้ง
accumulate - collect สะสม
manifest - appear ปรากฏ พบ
aid - to help somebody /something to do something , especially by making it easier ช่วย
butt - the part of a cigarette or cigar that is left after it has been smoked ก้นบุหรี่
deplete - to reduce something by a large amount so that there is not enough left บั่นทอน ทำให้ (อายุ) สั้นลง
Exercise:
1. __________ is a chemical found in cocoa and tobacco plants.
2. Plants have their natural ____________ to prevent themselves from being eaten by insects.
3. You would notice that addictiveness occurs when you feel ___________, _______________, _____________, etc.
4. If you feel you are not getting enough oxygen for your lungs (notice that you are feeling exhausted), it might be possible that you have inhaled too much _______________.
Answer:
1. nicotine 2. insecticide 3. cravings, anxiety, restlessness, hunger, irritability, other unpleasant feelings, etc. 4. carbon monoxide