Persuasive Speech to Stop Smoking

732 Words2 Pages

Hello my name is ---------and here to persuade you to stop smoking.

Smoking is not only bad for health it is also as bad for the people

around you.

Breathing other people's smoke is called passive, involuntary or

secondhand smoking. The non-smoker breathes "sidestream" smoke from

the burning tip of the cigarette and "mainstream" smoke that has been

inhaled and then exhaled by the smoker. Secondhand smoke is a major

source of indoor air pollution.How does this affect the passive

smoker?

Some of the immediate effects of passive smoking include eye

irritation, headache, cough, sore throat, dissyiness and nausea.

Adults with asthma can experience a significant decline in lung

function when exposed, while new cases of asthma may be induced in

children whose parents smoke. Short term exposure to tobacco smoke

also has a measurable effect on the heart in non-smokers. Just 30

minutes exposure is enough to reduce coronary blood flow. Almost half

of all children in the UK are exposed to tobacco smoke at home.

Passive smoking increases the risk of lower respiratory tract

infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia and bronchiolitis in

children. One study found that in households where both parents smoke,

young children have a 72 per cent increased risk of respiratory

illnesses. Passive smoking causes a reduction in lung function and

increased severity in the symptoms of asthma in children, and is a

risk factor for new cases of asthma in children. Passive smoking is

also associated with middle ear infection in children as well as

possible cardiovascular impairment and behavioural problems.

Infants of parents who smoke are more likely to be admitted to

hospital for bronchitis and pneumonia in the first year of life. More

than 17,000 children under the age of five are admitted to hospital

every year because of the effects of passive smoking. Passive smoking

during childhood predisposes children to developing chronic

obstructive airway disease and cancer as adults. Exposure to tobacco

smoke may also impair olfactory function in children. A Canadian study

found that passive smoking reduced children's ability to detect a wide

More about Persuasive Speech to Stop Smoking

Open Document