Ill Effects Of Smoking

Worldwide awareness of hazards of smoking is there. Smoking is banned in many public places of USA., Japan , New Zealand and India. The death rate among smokers is twenty times more than that of non-smokers. All forms of smoking – cigarette, cigars, pipe are injurious to health. In developing countries smoking is said to be responsible for

25% of all deaths due to fatal heart attack

75% of all deaths due to chronic Bronchitis

85% of all death due to lung cancer

Research workers have demonstrated artheroslerotic changes in coronary arteries of smokers and this change was absent in the vessels of non-smokers. Smoking constricts the arteries particularly in the hands and feet which raises the blood pressure and it also stimulates the heart to beat faster.

Smoking is one of the important risk factors in the management of high blood pressure. It is said that one cigarette raises the blood pressure by about 10mm of Hg and also the smoker looses one minute of his normal life span.

Passive smokers are people who do not smoke but are forced to breathe smoke filled air which affect their health. Women are more susceptible and wives of heavy smokers run greater risk of lung cancer. Every effort should be made to discourage smoking especially in the young.

OTHERS ASPECTS TO NOTE - ROOF GARDEN

A roof garden perhaps more than one on the ground, calls for fairly strong colors, as there is no immediate background against which the plants can be viewed. They must therefore stand on their own ments. Brightly colored flowers and foliage like hibiscus, bougainvillea, geraniums, acalyphya and amaranthus will have a dramatic impact.

There remains the question of managing the roof garden. Regular mulching of garden beds will help to preserve soil moisture. Because there is not much soil, plant foods will be leached out quickly, so regular fertilising is necessary. Insects pests unfortunately are ubiquitous and aphids and trips seem to be able to find their way to the tops of even multi-storey buildings.

Even if they are not quite as troublesome as they are on the ground a watch still has to be kept and a sprayer handy in case of attack. A convenient place should be found to keep necessary equipment, as it will be annoying and time wasting to have to walk down three flights of stairs to fetch something you have forget tern.

Roof gardens therefore are not difficult to construct or to look after, provided that all the likely problems are considered carefully before one starts: weight, drainage, wind, access aspect, water supply, equipment.