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Nicotine is the stimulant found
in all tobacco products such as: cigarettes, pipe tobacco,
chewing tobacco, and cigars.
Cigarettes contain at least
43 distinct cancer-causing chemicals.
Smoking is directly responsible
for 87 percent of lung cancer cases and causes most cases
of emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking is also a major
factor in coronary heart
disease and stroke; and has been
linked to a variety of other conditions and disorders, including
slowed healing of wounds, infertility, and peptic ulcer disease.
LONG
TERM EFFECTS
- high blood pressure
- blockage of blood vessels
- depletion of vitamin C
- reduction in the effectiveness
of the immune system
- cancer of the mouth, throat,
and lungs
- cancer of the upper respiratory
tract
- bronchitis and/or emphysema
- stomach ulcers
- weight loss
- dryness and wrinkling of
the skin
- production of abnormal sperm
in males.
The long term health effects of smoking
may seem to be in the distant fututre, but they're real.
Each year, smoking kills more
people than AIDS, alcohol, drug abuse, car crashes, murders,
suicides, and fires--combined!!
More than one million kids will
start smoking this year. One-third of them will die from their
addiction.
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