1. The International Union Against Cancer says about seven hundred million children breathe smoke-filled air. Expectant mothers who smoke are more likely to have babies with health problems and low birth weight. Such babies may suffer health problems as they grow.
2. FAITH LAPIDUS: Even after all the warnings, the WHO says one billion three hundred million people still smoke. The number of smokers is expected to grow to one billion seven hundred million by twenty twenty-five. Smoking rates havedecreased in the United States and Europe. But rates have risen in other areas.
3. WHO officials say eighty-four percent of all smokers live in developing countries. Nations in the Western Pacific Ocean have the highest smoking rates. One-third of all smokers live in East Asia and the Pacific.
4. The area has the largest number of male smokers. It also has the fastest growing number of female and child smokers. Every day, diseases linked to tobacco use kill more than three thousand people in the area. Scientists have found more than four thousand chemicals in cigarette smoke
5. Scientists have found more than four thousand chemicals in cigarette smoke. At least two hundred fifty of them are known to be harmful. And, fifty have been found to cause cancer. They include arsenic, which can be used to kill plants and small animals. Cigarette smoke also contains formaldehyde – a liquid used to protect the look of dead bodies.
6. As bad as those chemicals are, nicotine may be the most threatening of them all. Nicotine is a poison found in tobacco. It gives smokers pleasure and keeps them coming back for more.
7. The body grows to depend on nicotine. Studies have found that nicotine can be as difficult to resist as alcohol or the drug cocaine. Experts say nicotine can kill a person when taken in large amounts. It does this by stopping the muscles used for breathing.
8. Menthol cigarettes are said to be no safer than other tobacco products. Menthol cigarettes produce a cool feeling in the smoker’s throat. This may cause people to hold the smoke in their lungs longer than smokers of other products. As a result, scientists suspect that menthol cigarettes may be even more dangerous than other cigarettes.
9. Some smokers believe that cigarettes with low tar levels are safer. Tar is a substance produced when tobacco leaves are burned. It is known to cause cancer. America's National Cancer Institute has said that people who smoke low-tar cigarettes do not reduce their risk of getting diseases linked to smoking.
10. So is there any way to smoke without harming your health? The majority of available research suggests not. Smoking even a few cigarettes can be dangerous. But, many of the harmful effects of smoking ARE reversible. They can be undone. That is why most medical experts advise people to stop smoking forever.
11. The American Cancer Society says blood pressure returns to normal twenty minutes after the last cigarette. Carbon monoxide levels in the blood return to normal after eight hours. The chance of heart attack decreases after one day. After one year, the risk of heart disease for a non-smoker is half that of a smoker.
12. There are many products available to help people reduce their dependence on cigarettes. Nicotine replacement products provide the body with small amounts of the chemical through forms other than cigarettes. The amounts of nicotine are slowly reduced over time.
13. Chantix and Zyban are two prescription medicines that have also been shown to help smokers quit. They do not contain nicotine. Chantix works on nicotine receptors in the brain to reduce the urge to smoke. Zyban works by increasing levels of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical that produces pleasure.
14. People who have quit smoking offer this helpful advice to those who want to stop. Stay away from alcohol. Take a walk instead of smoking. And, avoid people who are smoking. If possible, stay away from situations that trouble you. It is not easy to quit smoking. And, people never can completely control their own health. But as one doctor advises her patients, becoming a non-smoker is one way to gain control of your life.
This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by June Simms. Brianna Blake was our producer. I’m Faith Lapidus.
And I'm Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for more news about Science in Special English on the Voice of America.
Vocabulary
- few = alguns
- about = aproximadamente
- advise = aconselham
- Against = contra
- amounts = quantidades
- At least = pelo menos
- available = disponível
- avoid = evite
- birth = nascimento
- blood pressure = pressão sanguínea
- brain = cérebro
- breathe = respiram
- burned = queimado(a)
- cigarette = cigarro
- cool feeling = sensação de frescor
- decreased = diminuído
- developing countries = países em desenvolvimento
- diseases = doenças
- Even after = mesmo depois de
- Expectant = grávida
- female = do sexo feminine
- getting = obter, pegar
- grow = crescer
- harmful = prejudicial
- heart attack = ataque cardíaco
- helpful = saudável
- hold = manter
- instead of = ao invest de
- keeps = mantém
- leaves = folhas
- levels = níveis
- likely = provável
- look = aparência
- low = baixo(a)
- lungs = pulmões
- male = do sexo masculino
- offer = oferecem
- own = próprio(a)
- poison = veneno
- prescription = receita médica
- provide = fornecer
- quit = abandoner (fumo)
- rates = indices
- replacement = substituição
- risen = aumentado
- safer = mais seguro
- shown = apresentado
- slowly = lentamente
- smoke-filled = cheio de fumaça
- Stay away from = fique longe de
- taken = tomado(a)
- tar = alcatrão
- That is why = é porisso que
- threatening = ameaçador(a)
- throat = garganta
- trouble = incomodar
- undone = desfeito
- urge = estímulo
- warnings = alertas
- way = maneira
- Western = occidental
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