Why Smoking Is Bad

Jacob Brooks
Ms. Williams
Eng 111
3/22/2013
Persuasive Paper
Dangers of Smoking

Why in the world would you begin a habit that you know is slowly killing you? That is the question all non smokers are asking. Smoking does nothing but kill you one cigarette at a time. As a son of a smoker I have been around the second hand smoke all my life and smoking doesn’t just only effect the smoker it effects the people around them also.
First off some of the chemicals in cigarettes are very harmful to any ones body. “There are over 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke and at least 69 of those chemicals are known to cause cancer” (cigarette ingredients). Some of the chemicals that are proved to cause cancer are: carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen ionides, and ammonia. “There are forty-three known carcinogens in main stream smoke” (cigarette ingredients). You can find some of these chemicals in your bathroom cleaner as in ammonia. Other chemicals in cigarettes contain tar, acetone, benzene, nicotine, and arsenic (rat poison). The list goes on of all the harmful chemicals that can be found in cigarettes and cigarette smoke.
Second would be second hand smoke. Second hand smoke is a term used to describe cigarette smoke that comes from two sources: smoke that is exhaled by the smoker (mainstream smoke) and smoke produced by a smoldering cigarette (sidestream smoke). “Second hand smoke is just as harmful as the main stream smoke. Second hand smoke is known to contain about 250 toxic chemicals, fifty which are cancer causing chemicals” (Chemicals in cigarettes). “According to the U.S. Surgeon General, There is no risk free level of exposure to second hand smoke, That means if you can smell cigarette smoke in the air, it could be harming your health” (Chemicals in cigarettes).
The third and last reason why smoking is bad for you is the health problems you can acquire from smoking. The big one of course comes fairly easy to anyone that knows about smoking and that would be cancer. Of course smoking causes cancer and it doesn’t just cause one type it can cause many. “You can also gain high cholesterol from the nicotine, have reduced oxygen from the carbon monoxide, components of the gas and particulate phases cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder or COPD” (How do cigarettes). “According to the Surgeon General tobacco use, particularly smoking, is the number one cause of preventable disease and death in the United States” (Glencoe 3/21).
The only way you can keep these three important things away is to quit smoking. Smoking does nothing but harm you and anyone else around you. There is no need for you to continue to harm yourself and other people. The best way to quit smoking is to get help from a doctor or to help yourself. You can go to any local store to get patches or gum that will get you on your way to a smoke free life. There are more than just those two things that will help you stop smoking as well. Just ask your doctor and they will get you in line to a better healthier life.
This is several reasons why smoking is bad. From the harmful chemicals to the second hand smoke harming others to the health issues that you may acquire from smoking. All the topics are good reasons to quit smoking and get your self on track to a healthier life.

Works Cited
"Smoking – Health Risks." Netdoctor. Ed. Patricia Macnair, Dr. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
Martin, Terry. "Chemicals in Cigarettes: What They Are and How They Harm Us."About.com Smoking Cessation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
"Cigarette Ingredients - Chemicals in Cigarettes." Cigarette Ingredients - Chemicals in Cigarettes. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
"Chemicals In Cigarettes." Harmful. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

Cited: "Smoking – Health Risks." Netdoctor. Ed. Patricia Macnair, Dr. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. Martin, Terry. "Chemicals in Cigarettes: What They Are and How They Harm Us."About.com Smoking Cessation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. "Cigarette Ingredients - Chemicals in Cigarettes." Cigarette Ingredients - Chemicals in Cigarettes. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. "Chemicals In Cigarettes." Harmful. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.