10 facts about tobacco smoking

1. Tobacco use by Native Americans throughout North and South America dates back to 2000BC.Tobacco was brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus’ crew. Smoking enveloped Spain and the rest of the world, through trade.
2.Tobacco smoke contains nicotine and harmane (MAO inhibitors), which combined cause addictive. When the primary or irregular use of nicotine, there is improvement in attention and memory, and mild euphoria.
3. A typical sigarete contains 8-9 milligrams of nicotine, a cigar - 100-200 milligrams. Five cigarettes contain the amount of nicotine, enough to kill a person. But with each smoked cigarette smokers actually get 1-2 milligrams, the rest of nicotine burns or remains in cigarette butts. Cigarettes contain other toxic substances such as arsenic, polonium and prussic acid.
4. The main health risks in tobacco pertain to diseases of the cardiovascular system, in particular myocardial infarction (heart attack), cardiovascular disease, diseases of the respiratory tract such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma, emphysema, and cancer, particularly lung cancer and cancers of the larynx and tongue.
5. About 1.1 billion people in the world smoke (1 in 6 or 16.7%) .About half of all smokers die from smoking-related diseases. In average the life expectancy of smokers is 8 - 12 years shorter than that of non-smokers.
6. Stopping smoking can make a big difference to smoker health. It is never too late to stop smoking to greatly benefit health. For example, if stop smoking in middle age, before having cancer or some other serious disease, you avoid most of the increased risk of death due to smoking.
7.The main cigarette manufacturers are the USA and China. The largest number of tobacco consumers lives in China, Yemen, Cambodia, Djibouti.
8. In spite of the enormous volume of accumulated data on the dangers of smoking, there are scientific works, speaking to the contrary. Ulcer colitis is revealed in the non-smokers twice as often than in the smokers. Nicotine of tobacco smoke has antiinflammatory properties.
9. On 27 February 2005 the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, took effect. The FCTC is the world’s first public health treaty. Countries that sign on as parties agree to a set of common goals, minimum standards for tobacco control policy, and to cooperate in dealing with cross-border challenges such as cigarette smuggling. Currently the WHO declares that 4 billion people will be covered by the treaty, which includes 168 signatories.
10. In November 2004, Bhutan became the first country in which the sale of tobacco and tobacco products is prohibited and imports of tobacco products for personal use are subject to 100% duty.