Are Health Hazards Greater If A Person Begins To Smoke As A Teen Research Paper

Are Health Hazards Greater If A Person Begins To Smoke As A Teen - Research Paper Example 1). The number of teen smokers is increasing daily with around 3,900 of them below 18 years of age and 1,500 of them become habitual smokers in the future (Teen Smoking par. 4). Teen smoking declined in the middle of the 1990s but again increasing in number (Teen Smoking par. 1). The American Lung Association report mentioned that 4,800 teenagers are tasting their first cigarette every minute (par. 1) during their sixth or seventh grade (Teens and Smoking par. 6), and 2,000 of them will become chain smokers (par. 1). Girls smoke tobacco products as much as boys do (American Cancer Society 4). Everyday, around 6,000 individuals below 18 years start out to smoke (Teen Smoking Statistics par. 2). With around 2,000 of them to continue smoking, they comprise the new 800,000 new smokers annually (par. 2). The present statistics of adult smokers has 80 percent that started as teenagers (Teens and Smoking par. 1). ... 2). During the 2009 survey, for every four high school children, one is a tobacco user (American Cancer Society 1). Statistics have also shown an increase in smoking among Hispanic and white teenagers, but a decline among the black (Teen Smoking par. 2). Current trend indicate that an estimate of 6.4 million adolescents and teens will â€Å"die prematurely from a smoking-related disease† (Teen Smoking Statistics par. 2). With continued use as teens get older, they will have the following problems: early heart disease and stroke, chronic lung diseases (e.g. emphysema, bronchitis), gum disease and tooth loss, hearing loss, and vision loss (e.g macular degeneration) (2). There are around 4,000 chemicals (Some of the Chemicals par. 1) found in tobacco products (many of them cause cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases) such as, Acetaldehyde, Acetone, Acrolein, Acrylonitrile, 1-Aminonaphthalene, 2-Aminonaphthalene, 3-Aminobiphenyl, 4-Aminobiphenyl, Ammonia, Anabasine, Anat abine, Arsenic, Benzene, Benzo[a]pyrene, 1,3-Butadiene, Butyraldehyde, Cadmium, Carbon monoxide, Catechol, Chlorinated doxins/furans, Chromium, Cresols, Crotonaldehyde, Eugenol, Formaldehyde, Glycerol, Hydrogen cyanide, Hydroquinone, Isoprene, Lead, Menthol, Mercury (Example Constituents 1-8), and numerous others. Smoking will expose a teen or adolescent with so many harmful and toxic chemicals from tobacco that can cause cancer and other diseases. The body of a child smoker is still fragile and undergoing development which can be affected by the toxic components. Starting to smoke as a teen poses greater health hazards to a person due to toxicity of cigarette chemicals, the fragility of a teen’s body, and addiction nicotine induces on the smoker. Causes of Teen