Tobacco

Physical health risks

Tobacco smoke contains over 5,000 chemicals, many of which are poisonous including more than 70 which can cause cancer. There is no 'safer' type of smoked tobacco - roll-up cigarette are just as harmful as manufactured cigarettes and smoking shisha through a waterpipe or hookah doesn't remove the toxic chemicals. These include:

• Tar - a mixture of dangerous chemicals
• Arsenic - used in wood preservatives/ rat poison
• Benzene - an industrial solvent, refined from crude oil
• Cadmium - used in batteries
• Ethanol - used in anti-freeze
• Formaldehyde - used in mortuaries to embalm dead bodies
• Polonium-210 - a highly radioactive element
• Chromium - used to manufacture dye, paints and alloys
• Acrolein - formerly used as a chemical weapon
• Hydrogen cyanide - used as an industrial pesticide
• Carbon Monoxide - contained in exhaust fumes
• Ammonia - used to make fertilisers and explosives

Smoking damages nearly every organ of the body. It causes:

• lung disease including emphysema and chronic bronchitis
• heart and circulatory disease including heart attack, stroke and narrowing of the arteries
• at least 15 types of cancer including lung, mouth, throat, stomach, liver, kidney, bowel, bladder and cervix
• Reduced fertility in both men and women

Smoking can cause bones to become weak and brittle, increasing the risk of osteoporosis in women. It also increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, eye disease and dementia.

Smoking during pregnancy can harm the baby in the womb from conception onwards. Every cigarette smoked causes damage to both the mother-to-be and her baby. Smoking increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth and sudden infant death syndrome. It makes it more likely that a woman will have life-threatening complications during pregnancy and labour, and that the baby will be too sick to go straight home after birth.

Smoking also harms other people around you. Being exposed to secondhand smoke can cause lung disease, heart disease and even cancer. Children are particularly at risk because they have less developed airways, lungs and immune systems.

Some people think shisha smoking is safer than cigarette smoking, but that isn’t the case. People smoke shisha for much longer periods of time than they smoke a cigarette, and in one shisha session you can be exposed to very high levels of toxic chemicals. There is also the added risk of picking up diseases such as herpes, hepatitis C or tuberculosis from sharing waterpipes.

Mental health risks

Smoking increases anxiety and tension. Smokers are also more likely than non-smokers to develop depression over time.

Other effects from smoking:

Smoking tobacco has lots of immediate effects, such as making your breath, hair and clothes smell.

Smoking stops oxygen getting to the skin, making you more prone to spots and a dull complexion. Over time it can lead to premature aging, meaning more wrinkles and a so-called ‘cat’s bum’ mouth.

The tar in tobacco smoke can lead to yellowed teeth and nails.