November 2017: Lung Cancer Awareness Month and Smoking on Colleges Campuses – Albright College

November 2017: Lung Cancer Awareness Month and Smoking on Colleges Campuses

Happy November Albrightians! November 2017 is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month (Cancer Awareness Calendar). In order to bring awareness to lung cancer, we will share a variety of statistics about smoking and its affects later in life.

Due to being in the college environment, students are more likely to be pressured into smoking. In fact, “each day, more than 3,2000 people age 18 smoke their first cigarette” (Smoking and Tobacco Use). Once an individual tries smoking, they are more likely to become susceptible to the habit. “Each day, an estimated 2,100 youth and young adults who have been occasional smokers become daily cigarette smokers” (Smoking and Tobacco Use).

“Cigarette smoke is a toxic mix of over 7000 chemicals” (Effects and Tobacco Basis). Before smoking your first cigarette, it is important to be aware of these chemicals. Some of the chemicals include beryllium, chromium, cadmium, and carbon monoxide. You may not recognize these chemicals by their specific names but you can recognize other materials in which they are present. Beryllium is found in nuclear weapons, chromium is found in stainless steel, cadmium is found in batteries and carbon monoxide can be found in car exhausts (Effects and Tobacco Basis). So, before you begin smoking think about this; would you willing to put a nuclear weapon, stainless steel, batteries, or a car exhaust into your body?

Smoking at a young age can cause a variety of effects that will last the rest of your life.

Effects of smoking include

  • Grey Wrinkled Skin
  • Bad Breath
  • Yellow Teeth
  • Asthma/Shortness of Breath
  • Blood Clots
  • Stained Nails
  • Loss of Control
  • Loss of Living Years
    (Effects and Tobacco Basis)

Before smoking, remember what chemicals you are exposing yourself to and what the long-term effects of smoking are. Ask yourself one question, “Is it worth it?”

~Jessica Fink ‘18

References

Cancer Awareness Calendar. Retrieved October 20, 2017, from https://www.cancer.org/about-us/who-we-are/cancer-awareness-calendar.html
Effects and Tobacco Basis. Retrieved October 20, 2017, from https://therealcost.betobaccofree.hhs.gov/effects.html
Smoking & Tobacco Use. (2017, March 29). Retrieved October 20, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index.htm