It is widely known and acknowledged even in smoker communities that cigarette smoking is extremely harmful for health. Smoking tobacco can lead to a host of sicknesses and cause irreparable damage to the mind, body and soul. Still, there exist some horrific facts that shed a light into this matter. Several organisations, all over the world have tried to study the effects of smoking on man and their studies have led to some startling revelations.
Medical Facts
Here are some interesting medical facts about smoking:
- It is claimed by scientists that an average smoker will lose 14 years of his life by smoking. This does not mean that he might die young; he may live a normal span of his life. Still, the loss of 14 years of life can be seen in premature ageing.
- Over 4800 ingredients are present in a cigarette. When burnt, they give over 200 chemical compounds, most of which are deadly to the lungs. Over 60 of them are known poisons which directly affect the body.
- About 20% of a cigarette is sugar, a fact unknown to many diabetics who are unaware of this secret sugar intake. Such people increase the risk of ailments caused by diabetes due to their ignorance and the popular myth that smoking helps in weight loss.
- Over 15 types of cancers are known to be caused by smoking including cancer of the stomach, cervix, pancreas, kidney, bladed, oesophagus, throat, voice box, mouth, lungs and some forms of leukaemia.
- Tobacco is responsible for about 20% (about 445,000) of the deaths caused in the United States and is the largest cause of deaths that can be prevented. Such figures make people question man’s judgement and his own capacity to destroy himself.
- Passive smoke causes about 3,000 deaths of people directly and another 35,000 due to heart diseases every year. Smoking not only affects the person who smokes, it also affects them who don’t. This is not less than murder.
Geographical Facts
Smoking patterns show distinct variations for different geographical locations. Some of the highest smoking rates in Europe are in Armenia. About 58% of men over 20 smoke daily and around 90% of children under-15 are exposed to smoking in their homes.
The United States is the only country where the amount of smokers of the different genders is almost the same. In 2008, the number of female smokers in the United States was 21.1 million as compared to the 24 million men who chose to light up.
The highest number of smokers per capita resides in Kentucky, a figure that is around 25.6%, that accounts for about 1 in 4 people.
If you thought this was enough, consider this, over a third of the world’s smoking population resides in China and over 50,000 cigarettes are consumed every second there. It adds up to 3.73 billion cigarettes per day. At the end, almost 80% of the world’s smokers reside in middle income and low income countries, a figure that relates smokers with poverty. Most smokers are financially weak.
Conclusion
There are several distinct variations according to geography when we talk about smoking patterns that exist all over the globe. Though people are aware of the medical risks associated with smoking most are not familiar with the exact statistics, something that has been taken care of now.