From Guest Blogger Jack: Smoking Is Harmful to the Environment

Smoking is known to be bad for you. Even some of those who have kept lighting up several cigarettes a day will be aware of the damage it is doing to their health. Asthma, bronchitis and, in extreme cases, lung cancer are just three of the disease which could occur as a consequence of heavy smoking, while premature aging and yellow-stained teeth are also possibilities.

While some of this damage is easily reversible, what about smoking’s impact on the wider environment? You might think that something so small can’t cause much damage, but you would be wrong to assume so. Thanks to the smoke emitted, the cigarette butts left discarded by smokers and some of the chemicals that make it into the atmosphere, its impact is huge.

Going unnoticed

The typical cigarette is known to contain a mix of harmful chemicals, the most notable being benzene and carbon monoxide. On its own, a single cigarette might not do too much, but the combined smoking of millions each day will inevitably lead to something more substantial. Carbon monoxide in particular can be destructive in large quantities.

As for the cigarette butts left after smoking, they can add up, especially in landfills and in the sea, where some of them inevitably get dumped. The remaining chemicals from them can cause harm to the water and nearby sea life, making them pretty lethal. Also, decomposition of cigarette butts is a long, drawn-out process.

Green alternative

For anyone concerned about both the health and environmental effects of smoking, switching to an electronic cigarette may be the answer to their prayers.

James Dunworth from ecigarettedirect.co.uk said: “A single cigarette may seem innocuous in terms of pollution. However, there are over one billion smokers in the world today. Even if the average number of cigarettes smoked per person was just 10, we’d be looking at over 365,000,000,0000 cigarettes being releasing smoke a year”

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The electronic alternative show, they’re actually pretty green, but why? The reasons include:

• They operate using rechargeable batteries
• They emit a water vapour as opposed to smoke, which is harmless to the environment
• They’re made with recycled plastic
• They can be used for a long time, unlike an individual cigarette

All those reasons and more make quitting more palatable, especially to the eco-conscious smoker. Giving up can help you do less damage to both yourself and the world around you.