Looks like there are still places on this planet that have dedicated smoking rooms (like India), and while the segregation is very nice for all the non-smokers, the fact still remains that all those cancer sticks are bound to take their toll eventually. That’s why we’re totally digging this brilliant anti-smoking advert (hot on the heels of yet another cool ad format) from Everest Brand Solutions, in Mumbai, India. It’s called “Cemetery”, and as you can see from the picture, it makes it look like your smoke room is at the bottom of a grave. It doesn’t really get more subtle than that. We’re not really optimistic about the impact it’ll have on smokers worldwide, but it sure makes a hell of a statement.
Lung cancer risk for ex-smokers
Even years after quitting, former smokers still have a raised risk of lung cancer - and now scientists believe they know why. Smoking appears to permanently alter the activity of key genes, even though most cigarette damage is repaired over time.
Canadian researchers, writing in the journal BMC Genomics, looked at lung tissue of 24 people.
UK experts stressed that giving up still delivers massive health benefits. It has been shown that the poisons in cigarette smoke can alter the activity of genes. If you give up smoking, your risk of lung cancer falls significantly, but former smokers continue to have a slightly higher risk of lung cancer compared with someone who has never smoked.
The latest study from the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre in Vancouver suggests that some of these changes might be permanent. They studied cell samples from the lungs of eight current smokers, 12 former smokers and four people who had never smoked.
Some gene changes appeared to be relatively short-lived, reversing after they had quit the habit for a year or more. However, a small group of changes were more persistent, and some of these are thought to be involved in cancer susceptibility.
In particular three genes linked to the body's ability to repair DNA had reduced activity levels.
Raj Chari, who led the research, said: "Those genes and functions which do not revert to normal levels upon smoking cessation may provide insight into why former smokers still maintain a risk of developing lung cancer."
A spokesman for the pressure group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said that it was important for current smokers not to be put off trying to quit by the thought that genetic damage was irreversible. She said: "We know that giving up smoking massively reduces your chances of developing lung cancer, and not only that, but your chances of heart disease and a number of other serious illnesses are also significantly reduced. Although former smokers do still have a slightly increased risk of lung cancer compared with someone who has never smoked, it is nowhere near as high as the risk of lung cancer to someone who is a current smoker."
Source: BBC News online, 29 Aug 2007
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6968771.stm
Should we use graphic pictures to stop people smoking?
Yes...
* Cigarettes are the biggest single cause of preventable deaths and anything that stops people smoking is good
* Young people, especially teenage girls, think smoking is cool, and horrible pictures may persuade them it is not
* Studies show that the bigger and more graphic the images, the more knowledgeable are the smokers of the health risks they run
No...
* People have a right to choose their one level of personal risk without vicious government propaganda
* The relatives of people who have died of smoking may be offended by images used in this way
* If smoking really is so dangerous and anti-social, why not make it illegal? At least that would be more honest than using pictures
A blog entitled 'Why I hate Smoking'
And now some pictures to finish this section with....law of attraction?
Would this really attract anyone?And now some 'before and after' pictures showing the effects of smoking on a person's lungs...
Since the middle of the 20th century, adverse effects on an individual's health have been attributed to tobacco smoke. Aside of nicotine, over 1000 substances are inhaled with every drag, some posing a sever cancer risk (benzopyrene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), others simply polluting the body (tar and soot). Furthermore, smokers risk oxygen deprivation with every cigarette which, along with all other undesirable effects of smoking, constitutes a risk factor for the following diseases:- Cancer of the - lip, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, lung, stomach, kidney, urinary bladder etc.
- Coronary heart disease and cardiac infraction
- Erectile dysfunction
- Stroke
- Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Liver cirrhosis
Particulate matter
Cigarettes produce, similar to diesel engines, large amounts of particulate matter which includes soot and aerosols such as ash particulates. The health risk posed by these substances is manly due to their small size, which allows inhaled particles to easily penetrate deep into the lungs, thus introducing bound toxins.
Secondhand smoking, passive smoking
Passive smoking occurs when the smoke from one person's burning tobacco product (or the smoker's exhalation) is inhaled by others. Current scientific evidence shows that passive exposure to tobacco smoke may cause death, disease and disability similar to, if not as severe as, those caused by active smoking. This idea lead to smoking bans in workplaces and indoor public places, including restaurants in the US, whereas Europe is still taking first measures towards this direction.
Finlly, listen to and watch this....
No comments:
Post a Comment