Tobacco is a plant of the Solanaceae family originated in America, high and broad leaves, which contains the toxic alkaloid nicotine.
Tobacco was introduced in France by Jean Nicot under Francis II and was first used as decorative and medicinal plant ("grass Nicot," "grass for all ills"). Later, they began to prepare its leaves to be popular, chewing or smoke.
On a physiological level, smoking is a complex act. There are over 5,000 components in tobacco smoke. Three toxins inhaled with each puff dominate: nicotine, carbon monoxide and benzopyrene.
Nicotine is an alkaloid that acts on the body as a trap.
Tobacco is responsible for 90% of lung cancers, 85% of arteritis, 65% of cancers of the head and neck (mouth, lips, tongue, larynx, pharynx, esophagus), 40% of bladder cancers, 35% of myocardial infarction (20 000 deaths per year), 25 000 deaths annually from respiratory failure.
Chronic bronchitis in smokers is due to inhaled irritants (nitrosamines) that paralyze the cilia and bronchial immune system and reduce respiratory.
The smoker does not only life threatening. It also poses risks to those around him even if he does not smoke.
There is a poisoning of non-passive smoker by smoker.
Stay in a smoky atmosphere equivalent to the consumption of one or two cigarettes. A child whose both parents smoke over a pack of cigarettes a day at home is twice as likely to be affected by lung cancer.
Similarly, the risk for a nonsmoker in good health, married to a smoker to develop heart disease increases by 30%
