Smoking, No. 1 Cause of Cancer in the Philippines

Smoking is the cause of different health problems. Cigarette comes from tobacco, a kind of plant wherein the leaves are used for smoking, chewing and sniffing.

There are 4 dangerous substances found in a cigarette. These are (a) carbon monoxide which can prevent blood to produce the needed oxygen for our body which results to shortness of breath to smokers;(b) nicotine, an addictive substance and causes danger to a smoker’s heart due to raised blood pressure and heart rate; (c) tar, is the brown, tacky substance that is left behind on the end of the cigarette filter. It stains a smoker’s teeth and fingers brown and coats everything it touches with a brownish-yellow film. Tar is a strong carcinogen or causes cancer; (d) Hydrogen cyanide, a colorless, poisonous gas, is one of the toxic byproducts present cigarettes smoke.

These substances can cause lung cancer, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, ischemic heart disease and hypertension.  According to the Philippine Cancer Society, lung cancer is the number 1 cause of death in the Philippines which sums up to 11,000 cases published each year.

In the recent survey done by Philippine Global Youth, out of 11,630 students, 27% were smoking.  6 out of 10 students have someone staying in their houses who are smoking.  More than 7 out of 10 are exposed to cigarette’s smoke in public places. 6 out of 10 have parents who are smoking.

Meanwhile 8 out of 10 students want to stop smoking.