By Elvira P. Buccat
There are several harmful things that happen to our bodies due to cigarette smoking. It is a fact that cigarette smoke contains thousands of different substances, most of which addictive and cause cancer.
According to an elementary science textbook, entitled Exploring Science and Health, nicotine is one of these harmful chemicals. Nicotine is a poisonous colorless gas. The book said, a pin-sized drop of pure nicotine if taken into the body, can kill a person instantly.
Nicotine in cigarette smoke narrows the blood vessel, thus affecting the flow of blood and oxygen in the body. As a result, the heart must work harder. Further, this substance is addictive, which means once a person has started to smoke, he develops the habit and finds it hard to stop.
Another harmful substance in cigarette is tar. This brown, sticky substance in cigarette smoke harms the air passages and lungs. When a person smokes continuously, tar builds up on the walls of the air passages and lungs, which may lead to difficulty in breathing. Tar is also known to cause cancer.
Carbon monoxide, an odorless and colorless gas, is another substance in cigarette. When a person smokes, he inhales carbon monoxide instead of oxygen. As a result, oxygen supply in the body is lessened. The heart has to pump harder so that every cell has the needed oxygen. Heartbeats increase and breathing becomes deep and frequent. This may result in heart and lung problems.
In addition, smoking affects the sense of smell and taste because it destroys the nerve endings in nose and tongue. Vision becomes blurred and muscle movements become slow due to the effect of carbon monoxide.
About the author: Elvira P. Buccat is a science teacher at Canaolan Elementary School in Binmaley, Pangasinan.