It’s ok to be a quitter.

By: Keri VerdellAnna Henderson

Lexy Tauber

Why they are so nasty…

• Cigarettes contain more than 4000 chemical compounds and at least 400 toxic substances.

• Most damaging toxins:– Tar (carcinogen/causes

cancer)– Nicotine (increases

cholesterol levels)– Carbon monoxide

(reduces oxygen)

Smoking causes diseases

• Coronary heart disease (leading cause of death in the US)

• Peripheral vascular disease

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm

• Lung disease

Smoking causes cancer

• Acute myeloid leukemia• Bladder cancer• Cancer of the cervix• Cancer of the esophagus• Kidney cancer• Cancer of the larynx (voice box)• Lung cancer• Cancer of the oral cavity (mouth)• Cancer of the pharynx (throat)• Stomach cancer• Cancer of the uterus

Compared with non-smokers, smoking increases the risk of…

• coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times

• stroke by 2 to 4 times• men developing lung cancer

by 23 times• women developing lung

cancer by 13 times• dying from chronic

obstructive lung diseases (such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema) by 12 to 13 times

A True Story…

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVLtNgAhPRg

Benefits of quitting…• 20 minutes after quitting-your heart rate and blood pressure drop.• 12 hours after quitting-the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.• 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting-circulation improves and lung function

increases.• 1 to 9 months after quitting-coughing and shortness of breath decrease• 1 year after quitting-excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a

continuing smoker• 5 years after quitting- Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and

bladder are cut in half. Cervical cancer risk falls to that of a non-smoker. Stroke risk can fall to that of a non-smoker after 2-5 years.

• 10 years after quitting- The risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a person who is still smoking. The risk of cancer of the larynx and pancreas decreases

• 15 years after quitting-the risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker.

Websites

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVLtNgAhPRg• http://www.cancer.org/Healthy/StayAwayfromTobac

co/GuidetoQuittingSmoking/guide-to-quitting-smoking-benefits

• http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/

• http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/smokehealth.htm