There are no physical reasons to start smoking. Your body doesn't need tobacco the way it needs food, water, rest, and exercise. And many of the chemicals in cigarettes, like nicotine and cyanide, are actually poisons that can kill in high enough doses.

You have already learned some of the effects of smoking on your body's systems. You will learn about more effects in this activity.   

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When people smoke, they expose their body to more than 4,000 chemicals — many of which are cancer causing, and all are dangerous. (The image above shows some of these chemicals.)

If you are a smoker, do you remember the first time you inhaled a drag from a cigarette? Your body told you right away that this was not good for you — your throat and lungs felt pain or a burning feeling, you probably felt sick, and you may have even vomited.

Below is a picture of a healthy lung and an unhealthy lung. Your lungs are part of your respiratory system. Remember that this system brings oxygen into the body and releases carbon dioxide. What do you think happens to people with diseased, unhealthy lungs such as the one on the right in the picture?

Through time, smoking leads to many health problems. Cancer, emphysema (the breakdown of lung tissue), organ damage, and heart disease are only a few of these problems. Some other problems related to smoking include:

• bad skin

•  bad breath

• bad-smelling clothes and hair

• less ability to exercise

•  greater risk of injuring yourself

• slower healing time

• greater risk of developing osteoporosis (pronounced: ahs-tee-o-puh- row -sus), which is a weakening of the bones
  

• decreased fertility and sexual health

 What Is Secondhand Smoke?

Secondhand smoke comes from the smoke that smokers exhale (mainstream smoke) and the smoke that you can see floating from the end of the cigarette, cigar, or pipe (sidestream smoke).

Secondhand smoke contains many thousands of chemicals such as arsenic, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide. Many of these chemicals have been shown to be toxic or to cause cancer. Secondhand smoke significantly increases a person's risk of:

• respiratory infections (like bronchitis and pneumonia)

• asthma (Secondhand smoke is a risk factor for the development of asthma and can trigger attacks in those who already have it.

• coughing and sore throats

• cancer and heart disease
  

Secondhand smoke doesn't just impact people in the future. It can cause problems right now, like affecting a person's sports performance or ability to be physically active.