Cigarettes contain more than 4000 chemical compounds and more than 400 toxic substances.
When you inhale, a cigarette burns at 700 degrees C at the tip and around 60 degrees C in the core. This heat breaks down the tobacco to produce various toxins.
As a cigarette burns, the residues are concentrated towards the butt.
The products that are most damaging are:
tar, a carcinogen (substance that causes cancer).
nicotine is addictive and increases cholesterol levels in your body.
carbon monoxide reduces oxygen in the body.
components of the gas and particulate phases cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).
Research has shown that smoking reduces life expectancy by seven to eight years. Did you know? On average, each cigarette shortens a smoker's life by around 11 minutes. That means the average pack of cigarettes (contains 20) will cost you 3 hours 40 minutes of your life (Some people may smoke up to 5 packs a day!) also - a pack of 2000 will cost 1 and a half days of precious life.
Of the 300 people who die every day in the UK as a result of smoking, many are comparatively young smokers. The number of people under the age of 70 who die from smoking-related diseases exceeds the total figure for deaths caused by breast cancer, AIDS, traffic accidents and drug addiction. Non-smokers and ex-smokers can also look forward to a healthier old age than smokers.
There are many health-related reasons to ban cigarettes - not just for smokers, but to protect those non-smokers that just cannot avoid second hand smoke, i.e. at the workplace.
The 'side-stream' smoke that comes off a cigarette between puffs carries a higher risk than directly inhaled smoke. Children who grow up in a home where one or both of their parents smoke have twice the risk of getting asthma and asthmatic bronchitis. They also have a higher risk of developing allergies.
Infants under two years old are more prone to severe respiratory infections and cot death.
For adults, passive smoking seems to increase the risk of lung cancer, but the evidence for an increased risk of heart disease is not yet conclusive.
I hope i did not bore you, indeed it was alot to take in, but, there is one more fact i would like to reveal (although i am almost sure that you will be aware of it i feel compelled to include it in this letter) Smoking of course damages health, this is not only displayed in this letter but is a known fact worldwide and is actually... common sense. It is the cause of 26% of all NHS illness and disease cases this greatly effects the annual spending of the NHS, in 1980 the NHS was spending around £8 billion a year, in 2003 this figure had risen tremendously to £62 billion! It is predicted that by 2020 the NHS annual spending will reach £182 Billion! If smoking were to be banned for good this figure was see a decrease of 26% thats roughly £45 billion a year which could be spent elsewhere. (I have included a simple graph published by rhe Department of Health)
Now, Mr Blair, although i have kept this to myself for most of the time since i heard of it I heard of it i feel i should mention this as it upsets me greatly and shows perfectly the consiquences of long-term smoking.
In the period of the last few months my very close friend was diognosed with lung canser, she now cannot speak at all and is hooked up to an oxygen supply (and has been for 4 weeks now) non-stop. Her children (a 7 year old girl and 9 year old boy) have suffered aswell, possibly much more mentally knowing thier mother has only a few more months of life, the 2 children are to be orphaned (as thier father died of heart disease 3 years earlier) This saddening story will, i hope, play a role in the persuasion of you to ban, and friends and familly to give up smoking for good.
I, and many others believe that although a ban of smoking will effect people greatly at first, the long term effects will be extremely worthwhile, resulting in: Higher grades for university, college and secondry school students. Less illness and disease and less money going into the NHS.
Sincerely, J. Limerick
Department of health; published NHS Annual spending
1980-2020. Included as stated.