Smoking is a potential health hazard .It reduces average life span. Cigarette smoke contains nicotine and about 4000 harmful chemicals (like tar, ash and gases like carbon monoxide) which can cause damage to health. These substances damage your lungs by causing chronic bronchitis, emphysema and other lung infections. Smoking causes narrowing of blood vessels and thus reduced blood flow in various organs in the body. This can cause heart- attack, stroke, impotence etc. Smoking also adversely affects your sense of smell and taste. Smoking is known to cause 13 different types of cancer. Smoking is the main cause for lung cancer, cancer larynx and cervical cancer.

Active as well as passive smoking during pregnancy is found to be harmful. Smoking is not only harmful for you, it also adversely affects your baby. Smoking can cause you difficulties in becoming pregnant. Smoking during pregnancy can result in small, growth retarded babies or babies with learning disabilities. The children born to ladies who smoke are found to be crankier, irritable and are more susceptible to infections. These babies are more likely to die from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).Intrauterine deaths and stillbirths are also commonly seen in pregnant ladies who smoke. The small babies who are exposed to cigarette smoke are much more likely to develop lung problems like pneumonia and asthma.

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