ly in a number of ways. It helps to make the arteries (important blood transport vessels) hard and narrow, and more likely to become blocked. It also raises the body’s blood pressure, and makes the heart work harder. The carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke deprives the body of much needed oxygen. Acting together these things can cause death, or permanent disability. Narrow arteries may burst under pressure of the blood trying to get through. This is called aneurysm, and is life threatening. Blockages in the blood supply around the heart can lead to a heart attack. A blockage in the brain can cause strokes, which can cause death or disability. The damage depends on what part of the brain is effected. If blockages in the veins of the arms or legs occur, severe pain will result, and the body part may need to be amputated. This type of blood vessel disease is called peripheral vascular disease (U.S. DHHS “The Health”). Other important causes of heart disease that people can avoid are having high blood fat levels, high blood pressure, and being overweight. If someone smokes as well as has any of these other factors, then they are at a much greater risk of developing heart disease (National Heart Foundation Pg. 5).Long-term exposure to the chemicals in cigarette smoke can lead to cancer in different parts of the body. Smoke from cigarettes contains 43 different chemicals known to cause cancer (U.S. DHHS “Reducing Health”). Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer caused by smoking. It can take many years to develop, and almost always leads to death (Association of Cancer Registries Pg. 22). Most people who die from lung cancer are people who smoke (Association of Cancer Registries Pg. 22). Smoking also causes cancer of the lips, tongue, mouth, throat, air pipe, and pancreas, and is linked to cancers of the stomach, bladder, cervix, and kidneys (U.S. DHHS “The Health”). It is estimated that smokin...
