DelaWELL Program -- Smoking Cessation"Placing Delaware at the Forefront of Wellness" |
|
| Fact: Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. |
Smoking is the most common form of tobacco use. Smoking delivers a strong dose of nicotine to the user, along with an additional 4,000 chemical substances, including Acetone (found in nail polish remover), Ammonia (floor/toilet cleaner), Arsenic (poison), Cadmium (rechargeable batteries), Carbon monoxide (car exhaust fumes), DDT/dieldrin (insecticides), Hydrogen cyanide (gas chamber poison), Formaldehyde (preserver of body tissues and fabric), and Nitrobenzene (gasoline additive).
These chemicals and gases carry small matter that condenses in the lungs to form a thick, brownish sludge called tar. Tar contains various carcinogenic (cancer-causing) agents. In healthy lungs, millions of tiny hair-like tissues called cilia sweep away foreign matter, to be expelled from the lungs by coughing. Nicotine impairs the cleansing function of the cilia by paralyzing them for up to one hour following the smoking of a single cigarette. This allows tars and other solids in tobacco smoke to accumulate and irritate sensitive lung tissue. Nicotine stimulation also includes increased heart and respiratory rate, constricted blood vessels, and subsequent increased blood pressure because the heart muscle must work harder to pump blood through narrowed vessels.
| Fact: Secondhand smoke actually contains more cancer-causing substances than the smoke that a smoker inhales. |
Quitting smoking is the most important thing you can do for your health and the health of those around you!
The following resources will instruct you on how to develop a plan of action for smoking cessation, guide you along the process, and provide the necessary support while doing it:
|
 |
