Tobacco in Nebraska

Tobacco is a drug that children will be exposed to from a very young age and through their life.  Even though smoking numbers are down, the 2002 Monitoring the Future Study shows that nearly 11 percent of 8th graders, nearly 18 percent of 10th graders and nearly 27 percent of 12th graders in the United States reported that they had smoked a cigarette in the past 30 days.

The decline of tobacco usage among Nebraska youth is consistent with the national average.  However, when looking at the following statistics we can see that the problem is still a concern that needs attention.  According to the Nebraska Behavioral Risk Factor Report of 2005:

• 16.5% of students reported smoking a whole cigarette for the first time before age 13.
• 53.4 % of middle school and high school students have tried smoking.
• 55.5% current student smokers tried to quit smoking during the past 12 months.

Cigarette smoke is composed of a large number of different substances that affect many parts of the body. Cigarette "tar" - a short name for the condensed solid particles in smoke - contains about 4,000 known chemicals, including poisons, and 50 cancer-causing substances . Many have been linked to disease. Some of the chemicals and poisonous gases in cigarette smoke are: arsenic, acetone
(used in paint stripper and nail polish remover), ammonia, carbon monoxide, cyanide, mercury, nicotine and lead. Heart and circulatory disease, lung and other cancers, emphysema and chronic bronchitis have been linked with a number of these substances.

How cigarettes are harmful
The moment the smoke from cigarettes touches the lips, it begins to attack living cells. It continues to do so wherever it goes: mouth, tongue, throat, esophagus, air passages, lungs and stomach. The cigarette's breakdown products eventually reach the: bladder, pancreas, kidneys, breast, colon and cervix.

Nicotine
Nicotine (found naturally in tobacco plants) is a powerful stimulant to the brain and central nervous system. It is extremely addictive. When inhaling cigarette smoke:

• The smoker gets an immediate, concentrated dose of nicotine in the bloodstream.
• Nicotine hits the brain within 7 seconds - faster than mainlining heroin.
• Nicotine causes blood pressure to rise and increases heart rate.
• Nicotine may also have a depressant effect.

The first daily dose of nicotine stimulates the large bowel while curbing appetite and slowing digestion. It lowers skin temperature and reduces blood circulation in the legs and arms. This makes the heart work harder. Nicotine is very poisonous if consumed in large amounts and may cause nausea in new smokers or any smoker who gets too much of it. Sixty milligrams of nicotine taken at one time will kill the average adult human being by paralysing breathing. The reason it doesn't kill smokers quickly is that it is taken in tiny doses, which are quickly metabolized and excreted by the body.

Carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke
Carbon monoxide in smoke replaces the oxygen in red blood cells. This forms a chemical called carboxyhemoglobin (COHb). When you smoke, nicotine causes the heart to work harder while the carboxyhemoglobin takes away the oxygen your heart then needs more of to work properly. Carbon monoxide also promotes cholesterol deposits in arteries.