3000 Reasons

Ran across this information, and decided to share it in case anyone reading my blog smokes, or is thinking about taking that nasty, dangerous habit up. Smoking causes more problems than I realized, and has some nasty stuff in it. Check it out, even if you don't smoke:

Even if you've heard that smoking is the number one cause of:

heart disease
cancer
emphysema
bronchitis
damage to DNA
high blood sugar
high blood pressure
infertility in woman
impotence in men
pathological increase in the heart rate and subsequent damage to the heart
constriction and even total collapse of blood vessels
numbness of hands and arms
marked increase in stomach acidity
crippling of taste buds
and massive destruction of vital cells from the lips to the lungs
and continue to indulge inspite of it, there is hope.
The following not-too-heard of facts will help you make the right choice for you and your family.

Cigarette smoke contains more than 3000 chemical substances. The following are a few that have been analyzed and have been found to be caustic and cancerous in their single state and even more so when combined with the other 2999 substances. (No question in my mind why people die after I read this). The other 2983 substances at the time of this writing have not come close to being analyzed to see what kind of harmful effects they have on the body let alone what they can do when combined with the other 2999 substances.
Chemicals

Descriptions:

Acrolein : A toxic, colorless liquid with irritating cancerous vapors.

Carbon Monoxide: A highly toxic, flammable gas used in the manufacture of numerous products, inhalation of carbon monoxide interferes with the transportation of oxygen form the lungs to the tissues, where it is required.

Nicotine : A poisonous alkaloid that is the chief addictive substance in tobacco. It is also used as an insecticide to kill parasitic worms in animals. One pack of cigarettes a day, inhaled, gives you enough nicotine to kill you outright if your were to receive it all in one dose.

Ammonia: A gaseous alkaline compound of nitrogen and hydrogen used as a coolant in refrigeration and air conditioning equipment and in explosives, artificial fertilizers and disinfectants.

Formic Acid: A Pungent liquid gas used in processing textiles and leather. Exposure to the acid irritates the mucous membranes and cause blistering.

Hydrogen Cyanide: An extremely poisonous liquid used in many chemical substances including fumigation, and in the case hardening of iron and steel. Hydrogen cyanide gas is used as the lethal agent in capital punishment.

Nitrous Oxide: A group of irritants and sometimes poisonous gases that combine with hydrocarbons to produce smog. Nitrogen Dioxide can weaken bodily tissues and increase susceptibility to respiratory ailments.

Formaldehyde: A pungent gas used primarily as a disinfectant and preservative. It is extremely irritating to the mucous membranes.

Phenol: A caustic, poisonous acidic compound present in wood and tar and used in disinfectants.

Acetaldehyde: A highly toxic, flammable liquid that irritates the eyes and mucous membranes and accelerates the action of the heart. Prolonged exposure causes blood pressure to rise and causes proliferation of white and red blood cells.

Hydrogen Sulfide: A poisonous gas produced naturally from putrefying matter and used extensively in chemical laboratories.

Pyridyne: A flammable liquid used in pharmaceuticals, water repellents, bactericides and herbicides.

Methydl Chloride : A toxic gas used in the production of rubber and paint remover and as an antiknock agent in gasoline.

Acetonitrile: A toxic compound found in coal tar and molasses residue and used in the production of plastics, rubber, acrylic fiber, insecticides and perfume.

Propionaldehyde: A colorless liquid with a suffocating odor, used as a chemical disinfectant and preservative as well as in plastic and rubber.

Methanol: A poisonous liquid alcohol used in automotive antifreezes, rocket fuels, synthetic dye stuffs, resins, drugs and perfumes.

Arsenic A poisonous chemical used in making insecticides.

Knowing more about what is in a cigarette can help you make an informed decision about whether you want to continue smoking. Considering that your children (should you have any) take their cues from you when developing habits, you would be sentencing them to death, telling them by your actions that it's OK to smoke.

I fortunately live in a state that does not allow smoking in places of business and it has spoiled me. When I travel in other places I may have to deal with second hand smoke.
Second hand smoke, many people are unaware, has three of the most poisonous elements:
tar
nicotine
carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide is the most deadly of them all.

Side stream smoke (or second hand smoke) has been shown to have twice the tar, twice the nicotine and five times as much carbon monoxide as mainstream smoke (what the smoker inhales). People who breathe in cigarette smoke retain the dangerous chemicals and inhale twice as long as the people doing the smoking.

Linking Skin Cancer and Cigarettes

Researchers have added skin cancer to the list of diseases associated with cigarettes. Their study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology concludes that smoking triples the risk of squamous-cell skin cancer (named for the type of flat skin cells that it affects). Among ex-smokers, the risk is nearly as twice as great as in people who never smoked, according to the report.

The researchers at Leiden University Medical Center compared 580 people who had different types of skin cancer - squamous cell, basal cell, or melanoma - with 386 patients who were cancer-free. The volunteers, who ranged in age from 29 to 80, completed surveys about medical history, physical traits (hair and eye color can affect risk), and health habits, including how much sun exposure was typical for them. A strong association between smoking and squamous-cell cancer remained significant even when researchers eliminated sun exposure as a factor.

Squamous-cell skin cancer rarely spreads to other parts of the body and is almost always curable if detected and removed according to the American Cancer Society. Although smoking does not seen to increase the risk of life-threatening melanoma, other studies indicate that melanoma patients who smoke have had a poorer prognosis than those who don't.

Website the information came from: http://trepanrr.tripod.com/reasons_not_to_smoke.htm