SMOKING

SMOKING
IS
IS
HARMFUL
HARMFUL TO
TO HEALTH
HEALTH

A message on World No Tobacco Day 2005

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division
The Latest Research Shows That:

1. Smoking harms nearly every organ of your body, causing

many diseases and reducing your health in general.

2. Quitting smoking has an immediate as well as long-term

benefits, reducing risks for diseases caused by smoking
and improving your health in general.

3. Smoking cigarettes with lower tar and nicotine provides

no clear benefits to health.

4. The list of diseases caused by smoking has been

expanded to include acute myeloid leukemia, cataracts,
cervical cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer,
pneumonia, periodontitis and stomach cancer.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
BRAIN
The upper image
shows a dark area
of dead tissue from
a stroke while the
lower image shows
healthy brain
tissue.
Dead tissues A stroke occurs
from a stroke when the blood
flow to an area of
your brain is cut
off. Blockage or
breakage of blood
vessels causes a
stroke.
Without blood
supply, brain cells
start to die, leading
to loss of function
in that part of your
brain.
A serious stroke
can lead to
permanent
damage, including
memory loss, loss
of speech, paralysis
or even death.

Smoking is a major cause of strokes.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
EYES
The upper image
shows a cataract
that causes the
eye's lens to turn
white (opaque).

Cataract Cataracts make it

more difficult to
read, drive a car, or
see faces of your
family and friends.

Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness worldwide.

If you smoke, you have a two to three times greater risk of developing cataracts than a nonsmoker.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
GUMS AND TEETH
The upper image
shows a serious gum
disease called
Periondontitis.
Spaces develop
between the gums
and the teeth causing
inflammation, loss of
bone around the
teeth, and
progressive infection.
If left untreated it
can cause teeth to
drift apart and fall
out.
The lower image
shows a healthy
mouth.

Smokers have more periodontitis or gum disease than nonsmokers.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
MOUTH
The upper image
shows a cancerous
tumour on the edge of
an outstretched
tongue while the lower
image shows a healthy
tongue.
Tobacco can damage
cells in the lining of
the oral cavity. Mouth
cancer occurs when
cells in your mouth
mutate and grow out
of control.
Cancer often appears
as lumps and swelling
in your mouth. As with
many cancers, mouth
cancer can spread to
other parts of the
body.

When people smoke they are at increased risk of getting mouth cancer.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
LARYNX (SOUND BOX)
The upper image shows
a severe cancer of the
larynx, which has
surfaced on the neck
while the lower image
shows a healthy larynx.
Cancer Cancer of the larynx
occurs when cells
mutate and grow out of
control.
Most laryngeal cancers
begin near the vocal
cords, causing
hoarseness or other
changes in the voice,
and possibly spreading
to other parts of the
body.

Smoking causes cancer of the larynx.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
FOOD PIPE
The upper image shows a
cancerous tumor appears in
the food pipe (esophagus)
while the lower image
shows a healthy esophagus.

Cancer of the esophagus

can invade almost any other
part of the body, including
Cancer
the liver, lungs, brain and
bones.

Smoking causes cancer of the food pipe (esophagus).

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
LUNGS
The upper image
shows a lung with
cancerous tumours
while the lower image
shows a healthy lung.
Lung cancer occurs
when cells in your
lungs mutate and
grow out of control. As
with many cancers,
lung cancer can
spread to other parts
of your body.

Smoking causes lung cancer.

Smoking causes about 90 percent of lung cancer deaths in men and about 80 percent in women.
Smoking low tar-cigarettes does not substantially reduce the risk of lung cancer.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
LUNGS
The upper image
shows a color scan of
the lungs of an asthma
patient. The scan
shows the constricted
airways.
The lower image
shows a healthy lung
scan.
The above
illustration on the
left shows a
restricted airway
(bronchiole) in the
lungs. The area in
the middle of the
airway narrows due
to asthma. The right
image shows a
healthy airway.

  

Smoking is related to asthma among children and adolescents.

Asthma is a disease that causes inflammation of the airways, causing them to become constricted, and obstruct airflow in and out of
the lungs. There is currently no cure for asthma, which may recur throughout life.
GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division
 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
HEART
The upper image
shows a damaged
heart after a heart
attack.
The damage
happens when the
blood flow
through the
coronary artery to
the heart is
blocked and not
enough oxygen
can get to the
heart muscle.
The lower image
shows a healthy
heart.

Smoking causes heart disease, which is the leading cause of death.

Cigarette smoking has been associated with all types of sudden cardiac death in both men and women.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
BLOOD VESSELS
The upper image
shows a blocked
artery with
arthrosclerosis while
the lower image shows
a healthy artery.
Atherosclerosis, or
Atherosclerosis hardening of the
arteries, gets worse
over time. Deposits of
fatty plaques, and
scarring and
thickening of the
artery walls causes it.
Narrowing of the
arteries around your
heart (coronary artery
disease) can prevent
the heart from getting
as much oxygen-rich
blood as it needs. This
increases the risk of a
heart attack.

Smoking causes atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.

Poisons in the blood from smoking cigarettes contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. Most cases of coronary heart
disease, stroke, and artery disease are caused by atherosclerosis.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
STOMACH
The upper image
shows a peptic ulcer
in the lining of the
stomach while the
lower image shows
the lower part of a
normal healthy
stomach.
Peptic ulcer
In severe cases,
problems with peptic
ulcers can lead to
death.

Smoking causes stomach ulcers.

Peptic ulcers are usually caused by the Helicobacter Pylori bacterium and smokers are more likely to develop them.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
KIDNEYS
The upper image
shows a cancerous
kidney while the
lower image shows
a healthy kidney.
Kidney cancer
often spreads to
the bones and
lungs. Like other
cancers, it can also
spread to other
parts of the body.

Smoking causes kidney cancer.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
BLADDER
The upper image
shows a cancerous
tumour on the inside
of the bladder. The
growth has the
appearance of a
Tumour cauliflower at the
top region of the
bladder.
The lower image
shows a healthy
bladder connected
to both kidneys by a
thin tube called the
ureter.

Smoking causes bladder cancer.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON THE
PANCREAS
The upper image
shows a close-up
image of pancreatic
cancer while the lower
image shows a normal
pancreas.
Pancreatic cancer is
one of the most
serious and deadly of
all cancers. The life
expectancy of a
person diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer is
approximately three
months.

Smoking causes pancreatic cancer.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING DURING
PREGNANCY
This is the picture
of a five-month old
fetus. The white
umbilical cord
carries oxygen and
nutrients from
mother to the
fetus.
Nicotine in
cigarettes may
cause the blood
vessels to constrict
in the umbilical
cord and uterus,
decreasing the
amount of oxygen
the unborn baby
receives.
Nicotine may also
reduce the amount
of blood in the
Umbilical cord baby’s
bloodstream, which
can contribute to a
low birth weight.

Smoking is harmful during every part of the development of the baby, and
continues to be harmful after a baby is born.
Smoking can cause babies to be born prematurely and to have low birth weight, respiratory diseases, and other illnesses.
Low birth weight is the leading cause of infant death.

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division

 STOP
STOP SMOKING
SMOKING
Live
Live aa longer
longer &
& healthier
healthier life
life

For further information about dangers of smoking,

please read GASCO health booklet on smoking
available on GASCO intranet
[path: Home>General Management>HSE>Guidelines>Smoking]

GASCO Health, Safety & Environment Division