SMOKING Smoking kills over 120,000 people in the UK each year 90% of lung cancer occurs in smokers Smoking 20 cigarettes a day over an average lifetime will cost you about 100,000 pounds Women who smoke 20 cigarettes a day are x more likely to develop breast cancer There are some 3000 chemical substances in cigarette smoke.The three most dangerous are: Nicotine, Carbon Monoxide, Tar Nicotine is an addictive drug that reaches the brain in less than 30 seconds It causes increases in:- nervous activityheart beat rate- blood pressure- stickiness (viscosity) of blood.Nicotine can increase the risk of stroke (a disruption of the blood supply to the brain).Strokes can paralyse or kill Carbon Monoxide is a toxic chemical which combines irreversibly (cannot be removed) with the haemoglobin in our red blood cells reducing the bodyís oxygen carrying capacity The effects include:- increased risk of heart attack- aggravates asthma- decreased foetal growth (in women who smoke while pregnant) Tar is a carcinogenic compound which acts initially as an irritant, causing chronic inflammation of the lungs leading to the development of scar tissue.The effects of tar include:- chronic bronchitis- emphysema (damaged alveoli, causing shortness of breath)- lung cancer Smoking can have both short-term (bad breath, increased blood pressure, increase in mucus production, addiction, smelly clothes, yellow teeth, ) and long-term effects (stroke, heart attack, cancer of mouth, throat, larynx, lung, , emphysema, chronic bronchitis – smokers´ cough - thrombosis, ) on the human body.These effects take years to develop and are severe or lethal.Statistics say that every cigarette shortens a smoker’s life by 14 minutes Moreover, smoking harms unborn babies and young children When a woman smokes during pregnancy the smoke can harm the baby - often the baby is smaller than expected at birth To help prevent SIDS, babies need to be kept away from cigarette smoke during pregnancy and for the first year of life Smoking in the same house or car with children means they breathe in the smoke as well These children get more colds, ear infections and chest problems such as asthma, if they live with a smoker Male smokers also have a lower sperm count and more abnormal sperm than non-smokers On 1st July 2007, a new law came into effect in England, banning smoking in public places Similar bans have already been in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for some time Doctors estimate that 'second-hand smoke' kills more than 600 people every year.The ban is intended to keep people safe from these dangers and other illnesses that could result from passive smoking It is also hoped that it will help existing smokers to quit and discourage children from taking up the habit Lighting up a cigarette illegally can result in a fine of 50 pounds.This amount will rise to 200 pounds if a person is prosecuted and convicted of the crime in court Businesses that not comply with the ban can also get fined up to 2,500 pounds Surveys have proved that as many as 840,000 people are now willing to visit places that they would otherwise have avoided due to second-hand smoke The age at which it is legal to buy cigarettes and tobacco in England, Scotland and Wales was raised from 16 to 18 on 1st October 2007 Any retailer caught selling to people under the age of 18 risks a fine of up to 2,500 Why young people start smoking? Most people begin smoking when they are teenagers and go on to become regular smokers as adults Why young people start smoking when there is so much information available about the damage smoking does to the body? * It has been suggested that young people are attracted to the 'image' they associate with smoking *The tobacco industry has created an image of smoking as being tough, cool, sophisticated, sexy, attractive or a form of rebellion Although nicotine addiction keeps people smoking, young people usually start smoking because of the social image they want to present to others *Young people are also more likely to start smoking if their friends or family are smokers In some cultures, smoking is still widely accepted adapted from: www.bootslearningstore.com/ks4/smoking.html TASKS/QUESTIONS: • • • • what you think of the current debate on banning smoking in restaurants and bars in Austria? What does the law say? what you consider the dangers of second–hand smoke/passive smoking? what´s your very personal attitude toward smoking? what about the role of cigarette ads?