Breathing is essential to life, and through this blog, I hope to illustrate the importance of lung health. This project we made a poster about the issues with lungs. A lot of teens are being impacted by cigarettes and vaping. My poster showed the difference between a lung that uses cigarettes and a lung that is healthy. Did you know? On average, the life expectancy of a smoker is 10 years less than a nonsmoker. Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, 70 of which are known to cause cancer. Nearly 9 out of 10 smokers start before the age of 18 and almost all start smoking by age 26. Many of the studies that have been completed demonstrate that there are harmful toxins and carcinogens in electronic cigarettes, and it’s still unclear how these exposures might translate to long-term harm. Although it’s generally agreed that these products are less harmful than smoked cigarettes, there is no evidence that they are, in fact, safe. Rather, a growing body of research indicates that they may lead to negative health consequences, including:
- Damage to the brain, heart and lungs
- Cancerous tumor development
- Preterm deliveries and stillbirths in pregnant women
- Harmful effects on brain and lung development, when use occurs during fetal development or adolescence
