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Smoking is the act of which a substance is burned while some is exhaled and the rest is absorbed and released into your bloodstream. For hundreds of years people have been smoking. Some because it's relaxing and takes the stress off you and others just because it's "cool". But the overall effects of smoking is very dangerous and doesn't even have one benefit for you. Everyday thousands of people die from smoking. This number is higher than illegal drug use, car accidents, suicide rates, and even murders. In a year an estimate of 443,000 people die prematurely from smoking, second-hand smoke. Also another 8.6 continue to live with serious ill conditions and diseases from smoking. In the past few years vaping has become really popular and is marketed for and around us younger people. Many also have heard that vaping is "safer way" or "harm free" way to smoke and many do it to stop smoking. Vaping is terrible for your body, the chemicals used in vapes make your everyday supplies and needs which don't belong in our bodies. It's the same thing with tobacco which contains nicotine, a highly addictive drug, ammonia, lead, and arsenic, and that was just a few that are contained in tobacco but there are many more. Those substances make rat poisoning, roach killer and many more products that we buy. The tobacco and cigarette companies don't care and are marketing vaping towards younger people because they are making billions of dollars and will continue to do so since it is so highly addictive. With the endless flavors and nice looking vapes our attention is drawn to vaping easily. Let's think about what we are inhaling into our bodies and maybe (not) get lit.
- By Kaitlyn McDole

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In the past 150 years carbon dioxide levels that have been put into the atmosphere have become higher than they have been for hundreds of thousands of years. Pollution has been a huge problem for the longest time. There are many effects it can have on the environment , animals, and humans. Air pollution can cause chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver, or kidneys for humans. People who live in places with high levels of air pollution have a 20% higher risk of death from lung cancer than people who live in less polluted areas. It can also cause a lot of problems with the environment like acid rain. Acid rain is precipitation containing harmful amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids, this can damage rivers, ponds, soil, wildlife, and forests. Over 1 million seabirds and 100,000 sea mammals are killed by pollution a year. Ways to stop pollution would be conserving energy, recycle, reduce auto emissions, use reusable water bottles, and most importantly don't litter! Doing these things will help not only your health but the environment and all the animals to.                     - By Deviny Keith

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Every day about 15 million cigarettes are being lit and smoked to the dismay of many people trying to prevent it. Cigarettes are overall bad for people and the environment. Smoking tobacco kills, on average, 1300 people every day in the U.S. This number is more than all of the deaths of car accidents, alcohol, illegal drugs and murders combined into one.
In each cigarette there is approximately 4000 chemicals present and, each time one is lit, these chemicals can get into the air and pollute it damaging the environment. In the human population, about 1 billion people (about 20%) smokes cigarettes. This statistic is unacceptable. There are plenty of associations that help quit smoking (ex quit.com) and many products that help resist the urge to smoke such as nicotine patches. Remember, the next time you grab the pack of cigarettes. Don't Light Up
- By Julian Gonzalez

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In this activity, you will be working to make a public service announcement (PSA). A PSA is an advertisement that raises awareness about a health issue or persuades a target audience to choose a healthy behavior. You may have seen PSAs on TV or bulletin boards before, telling you reasons not to smoke or not to drink and drive.

You can choose from the following types of public service announcements:

A 30-second TV commercial (script or video)

A 30-second radio spot (script or recording)

A magazine advertisement

An infographic

A web page or blog

Activity Guidelines
Step 1: Find your topic

What health topics do you feel strongly about?

What health topics do you feel are timely and relevant?

Once you’ve chosen a topic, get specific. What is the one message you want to share?

What is your target audience, and what do they need to know about this health topic?

Here are some sample PSA ideas to get you started:

Physical Activity: Exercise can boost your mental health

Portion Sizes: Fast food delivers a day’s worth of calories in one meal

Depression: Opening up can help

CPR: Getting certified can save a life

Alcohol: One drink, many consequences

Step 2: Find the facts

Find at least three statistics and facts about your health topic that you can use to persuade your audience.

Incorporate these statistics and facts into your announcement, as support of the overall message of your PSA.

Step 3: Get creative

Work together to make a clear, concise, and creative PSA.

Does your PSA:

grab the audience’s attention and hold it throughout?

have enough information to give a solid argument for why the audience should make the healthy choice?

have one overall theme or message, and are the supporting statistics and facts consistent with that message?

provide an “appeal” that persuades the audience to make a healthy choice?

include a “call to action,” or a way for your audience to get more information about your subject?

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