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The Curse of the Cigarettes: Polluting the Body and the Environment

Ashna Waseem 06:32 PM, 31 May, 2022
The Curse of the Cigarettes: Polluting the Body and the Environment

As far as human civilization goes, the cigarette is the most lethal item ever created. Every year, cigarettes claim the lives of around 6 million people, a figure that will only rise in the coming years. Only 100 million people died from smoking in the twentieth century, but a billion might die in our century unless we change our ways. Tobacco use would still result in the deaths of nearly 300 million people by the year 2100, even if current rates of consumption decline consistently.

Because it kills half of its long-term users, cigarettes are a faulty product that should be avoided. And it's designed to make you want to keep going back for more. Continue reading the article to learn how it pollutes the environment and the human body. 

Cigarettes Pollute the Body

Smoking is linked to plenty of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, and diabetes, as well as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Aside from lung illness, smoking may cause eye disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other immune system issues.

Approximately 41,000 nonsmoking adults and 400 newborns die each year due to passive smoking. Smoking secondhand increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults and stroke and lung cancer. Asthma and respiratory symptoms are more severe in children exposed to secondhand smoking. They are also at greater risk of sudden infant death syndrome and middle ear problems.

Cigarettes and Environment 

The catastrophic effects of the tobacco business on human health are well-documented and widely accepted. However, a new analysis reveals how the tobacco business has a significant influence on our planet for the first time.

Climate change, water, soil depletion, and acidification are just a few of the environmental consequences resulting from fossil fuels. There are many lands, water, pesticides, and human labour used in tobacco farming across the world. These are all limited resources that may be better used in other ways.

According to the report's findings, there are roughly 84 million tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions from tobacco production each year, which is around 0.2 per cent of world emissions. Every year, the tobacco business contributes significantly to global warming by releasing enormous carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Toxic substances released into the environment by discarded cigarette butts include arsenic, nicotine, various heavy metals, and a family of molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, found in cigarette butts in laboratory studies.

Conclusion

Cigarettes are not only dangerous for health but also for the environment. Smoking harms the heart and the blood flow throughout the body, increasing one's likelihood of developing heart disease or suffering a heart attack. They also contribute to global warming and climate change.

Ashna Waseem
Ashna Waseem

The author is contributing writer at Medical News Pakistan and can be reached at Ashnawaseem123@gmail.com