Aleena Bilal
03-17-22
Literature Review Draft
Impact of smoking tobacco
Cigarette smoking is very common in the world. A cigarette is a narrow cylinder that is
typically contained with tobacco that is rolled up and smoked by people. Smoking is one of the most prevalent difficulties people face in today’s world, and it is one of the leading causes of death. Many people develop this habit as a result of stress, personal troubles, and other factors. Some people also start flaunting it. When a person smokes a cigarette, they are harming not only themselves but also those around them. It has numerous negative impacts on the human body which can cause long-term issues later on in life.
When it comes to smoking it appears that one impact of smoking tobacco is getting cancer. Edward D. Gometz(2011) states that when smoking tobacco can lead to lung cancer. It also increases the risk of cancers of the throat, pancreas, kidneys, bladder, colon, acute myeloid leukemia, and esophagus. Sibu, Deepak, Thomas, and CG(2007), go into more detail about what smoking tobacco can do to the lungs. With years of epidemiological and experimental studies, they have come to the conclusion that tobacco smoke inhalation is linked to cancers of the mouth, esophagus, colon, pancreas, breast, larynx, and kidney. Leukemia, particularly acute myeloid leukemia, finding concerns the nature of lung cancer, which has evolved through time in terms of the location and types of lung tumors seen in smokers. While Edward D. Gometz(2011) states some causes it didn’t state other cancers such as breast cancer or leukemia. Among the past, centrally located squamous cell carcinomas of the airways were the most common tumors found in
smokers. Peripheral adenocarcinomas and other non-small-cell lung malignancies are now the most common lung tumors in smokers.
While smoking does cause cancer it is known that smoking causes other issues as well. The American Cancer Society (2020) states that smoking can affect a person’s health in many other ways. When smoking tobacco increases the risk of gum disease and tooth loss, lowers the immune system in your body to function, increases the risk of diabetes, lowers your sense of taste or smell, causes premature aging, increases the risk of cataracts, and more. Sibu, Deepak, Thomas, and CG (2007), the article is more cancer-based but does state that when smoking cigarettes for a long period of time the person can get cardiovascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Robert West(2017) also brings up cardiovascular disease but goes into more detail about other causes of smoking tobacco. For example, both women and men who smoke have lower fertility. Smoking during pregnancy stunts the fetus’ growth and raises the chances of miscarriages, stillbirths, and respiratory disease in the offspring, as well as being a likely cause of mental health disorders in the kids. They also state that when smoking could cause stroke, blindness, deafness, back pain, osteoporosis, and peripheral vascular disease.
Edward D. Gometz(2011) and The American Cancer Society (2020) also talk about what happens to pregnancy when smoking tobacco. Edward D. Gometz(2011), pregnancy problems linked to maternal smoking include abruption placentae, placenta previa, bleeding during pregnancy, early and delayed membrane rupture, and preterm delivery. They also bring up that when smoking can increase the risk of coronary artery disease more than someone who is a non- smoker. It also increased the chances of diabetes, raises blood pressure, lowers muscle strength, and causes blood to clot more easily. The American Cancer Society (2020) states in more detail what happens during pregnancy if someone is smoking. When a woman smokes, the placenta, the
organ that joins the mother and the fetus, might become inflamed. The placenta may be in the wrong place (placenta previa), or it may split too soon from the uterus (placental abruption). These issues could result in severe bleeding, an early delivery (premature birth), or other complications during delivery, some of which may necessitate an emergency C-section. Also, premature births and babies born with low birth weight and stillbirths and miscarriages can occur.
While reading Robert West(2017) and The American Cancer Society (2020) all talked about the impact second-hand smoking can do on someone. Robert West(2017) both children and adults are at risk when they are exposed to secondhand smoking. Nonsmokers who are exposed to a smoky atmosphere have a higher risk of cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disease than nonsmokers who are not exposed to a smoky environment. The American Cancer Society (2020) goes into more detail for people that are non-smokers. Like Robert West(2017) states, inhaling smoke from cigarettes opens a high-risk factor for lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and altered lung functions. Children who are exposed to the smoke from cigarettes show a decrease in lung function, more days of limited activity, more respiratory infections, more days in bed, more absences from school, and more hospitalizations than children from nonsmoking households. What we can see here is that even if someone does not smoke cigarettes, people who live with someone who does or is constantly exposed to someone who does may develop diseases and health issues that are similar to those experienced by smokers.
Robert West(2017) and The American Cancer Society (2020) also go into detail about what happens to kids who smoke. The American Cancer Society (2020) believes that children who smoke have more health problems than children who don’t smoke. There is additional evidence that nicotine affects children’s brains development. It’s significant to remember that nicotine is present in most e-cigarettes and comparable products. Some side effects could be coughing,
shortness of breath, wheezing or gasping to breathe, more headaches, and increased mucus, a respiratory illness that could worsen over time. Teen tobacco users are more likely than non-users to take alcohol and other drugs, according to research. Teens who smoke are more likely to get into fights, carry weapons, try suicide, have mental health issues including depression, and participate in high-risk sexual practices. This isn’t to say that tobacco use caused these behaviors, but they are more common among kids who smoke. By looking at the evidence shown, while there are a lot of problems that could occur if children start smoking, the more they smoke later on can lead to the long-term causes that were stated in the other sources for example cardiovascular disease or cancer. Robert West(2017) talks about reasons why children or kids want to smoke but goes into more detail about the subject compared to the other sources. In western societies it is believed that the reason people go into smoking is that they may have friends who smoke, parents who smoke, have low grades in school, or goes through mental health problems such as depression and smoking to overcome it. More reasons that lead to smoking could also be low parental support, or, drinking and alcohol. Looking at the information about why children would smoke tobacco, Robert West(2017) and The American Cancer Society (2020) both stated that children who smoke usually smoke to ease their mental health. But, Robert West(2017) talks about the circumstances of children who smoke by stating they have a higher chance to carry weapons to school or get into fights. American Cancer Society (2020) just talks about reasons why children would start smoking. But both sources do have a certain set theme on smoking which is smoking is bad, especially for kids and due to that, it could lead to issues that are not good for the person.
One other big issue that comes to smoking is the number of increased death rates. Sibu, Deepak, Thomas, and CG (2007), determined that in Europe, tobacco is responsible for 24% of all male deaths and 7% of all female deaths. The death rates rise by over 40% in central and eastern
Europe and 17% in women in the United States. According to United Kingdom doctors, they anticipate that the worst is yet to come in most nations, as there will be around 10 million fatalities per year from tobacco use by the time today’s youthful smokers reach middle or old age. Edward D. Gometz(2011) states that 50% of smokers die from a smoking-related illness, and one in every four smokers has their average lifespan cut by as much as 15-20 years. The American Cancer Society (2020), states that tobacco use is responsible for around 80% of lung malignancies and 80% of lung cancer deaths. In both men and women, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. It is seen that due to the amount of smoking death rate has increased. What all sources have in common here is that smoking cigarettes affects nearly every organ in the human body, creates a variety of illnesses, and decreases smokers’ overall health.
While looking at each source what they all have in common is that they all believe that smoking is bad and has an impact on a persons body if they smoke it to often. Smoking can cause cancer if used to much. Edward D. Gometz(2011) states that when smoking tobacco can lead to lung cancer.Sibu, Deepak, Thomas, and CG(2007) states that that tobacco smoke inhalation is linked to cancers of the mouth, esophagus, colon, pancreas, breast, larynx, and kidney. Smoking tobacco doesn’t just cause cancer but also other health issues. The American Society(2020), Sibu, Deepak, Thomas, and CG (2007), and Robert West(2017) all bring up that smoking tobacoo increases the risk of cardio vascular disease,increase diabetes and affect the immune sytem in our bpdies. People who smoke cigarettes when pregant also go through issues such as chances of miscarriaes or still births that was stated in Robert West(2017) article. Even though smoking causes many health issues second hand smoking is also another issue.People who are exposed to passive smoking are more likely to get cancer, cardiovascular disease, and have impaired lung functioning. According to Robert West (2017) and the American Cancer Society (2020), children
who smoke cigarettes have challenges that contribute to this problem. Robert West (2017) argues that youngsters smoke because their parents smoke, have terrible grades in school, or suffer from mental health issues such as depression, among other things. According to the American Cancer Society (2020), children who smoke have more health issues than children who do not smoke, such as coughing or shortness of breath. Overall, smoking is associated with a high rate of death. One queston I have for smoking is If smoking has so much side effects and causes so much harm why hasn’t the government or any country do something to limit smoking tobacco and help save peoples lives?
Work Cited:
-Gometz, E. D. (2011, January 1). Health effects of smoking and the benefits of quitting. Journal of Ethics | American Medical Association. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/health-effects-smoking-and-benefits-quitting/2011-01
-West, R. (2017, August). Tobacco smoking: Health impact, prevalence, correlates and interventions. Psychology & health. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5490618/#CIT0071
–Health Risks of Smoking Tobacco. (2020, October 28). American Cancer Society. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/health-risks-of- tobacco/health-risks-of-smoking-tobacco.html
-Saha, S. P., Bhalla, D. K., Whayne, T. F., & Gairola, C. (2007). Cigarette smoke and adverse health effects: An overview of research trends and future needs. NCBI. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2733016/
