ADAM QUESTION 2

Health effects from a smoking addiction are numerous and begin once an individual smokes his first cigarette. Beginner smokers are two to six times more likely to suffer from health effects such as coughs, increased phlegm, wheezing, and shortness of breath than non-smokers.

The earlier teenagers become smokers, the greater the risk of dying prematurely from heart disease, lung cancer, and emphysema (abnormal dilation of air spaces in the lung). Other health effects experienced by adult smokers include accelerated osteoporosis, earlier menopause, and impaired reproductive capacity.

If a pregnant woman smokes, her baby’s brain development and birth weight is affected. The baby would also have a higher risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), hyperactivity, and behavioural problems. Chronic respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma are significantly more common in infants and children who have one or two smoking parents.

Children with parents who both smoke receive a nicotine equivalent of smoking 80 cigarettes a year; this quota is based on continine levels (a standard nicotine test) in the saliva of these children. A child’s health is acutely affected by passive smoking.