HOW CIGARETTE SMOKE
CAUSES CANCER
It is well known that people who
smoke are ten times more likely to
die from:
larynx cancers
Pharynx cancers
stomach cancers
mouth cancers
lung cancers and chronic obstructive
lung disease, including emphysema
and esophagus.
These risks are higher when smoking
is combined with alcohol or long-term
exposure to certain types of toxic
substances like asbestos.
Lung cancer• Suffering from this kind of cancer begins with a cough. It can be
persistent or bloody. A smoker experiences shortness of breath,
pain and discomfort.
Mouth cancer• Cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of mouth cancer. It
begins with a change of DNA structure known as mutation, this
alters the instructions that controls the growth of cells. It then
spreads out of the mouth and into the nearby tissues.
• At first it appears as a painless lesion but it becomes painful when
the tumor grows. Swallowing may be difficult, and foods may taste
different.
Larynx and Pharynx Cancers• The larynx and pharynx are close to each other in the neck. Larynx
and pharynx cancers (throat cancer) begins by hoarseness, earache,
and difficulty swallowing.
• The cells used for
breathing, speaking,
and swallowing begins
to divide rapidly and
abnormally. It also
affects parts of the
tongue, tonsils and
trachea.
Esophageal Cancer• This is a cancer of the oesophagus. The esophagus is used to carry
food from the mouth to the stomach. It is a serious type of cancer
that affects the oesophagus and most people do not live 12 months
after symptoms first appear. Symptoms are; swallowing difficulties,
loss of appetite or weight loss. In most cases the cancer is not
recognized until it is too late.
Bladder Cancer• Smoking can also cause bladder cancer. The bladder which stores
urine.
• This is an uncontrolled growth of cells that make up the lining of the
bladder.
• It involves painful urination, frequent and bloody urination.
How Cigarette Smoke Causes
Cancer
• Before smoke causes cancer, there are
other multiple smoking effects you must
experience including coughing, Stained
teeth, Yellow fingers, Shortness of breath,
blood circulation problems, Grey
complexion, Lack of energy, Dry mouth,
Dizzy spells, poor taste, tobacco smelling
etc.
What is in cigarette smoke anyway? • Cigarette smoke contains thousands of ingredients that causes
cancers, they include
– Ammonia, (a poisonous gas),
– Levulinic acid (used in cleaning solvents)
– Urea (a compound found in urine)
– Diammonium phosphate (a compound used to make fertilizer)
– Formaldehyde (a chemical used in building materials household products)
– Chocolate, that is used to make cigarettes taste bitter.
– Tar (a mixture of dangerous chemicals)
– Arsenic (used in wood preservatives0
– Benzene (an industrial solvent, refined from crude oil)
– Cadmium (used in batteries)
– Formaldehyde (used in mortuaries and paint manufacturing)
– Polonium (a highly radioactive element)
– Chromium (used to manufacture dye, paints and alloys)
– 1,3-Butadiene (used in manufacturing rubber)
– Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (a group of dangerous DNA-damaging
chemicals)
– Nitrosamines (another group of DNA-damaging chemicals)
– Acrolein (formerly used as a chemical weapon) Just to mention a few.
• Although it may look harmless enough –
tobacco releases dangerous mixtures of
about 4,000 chemicals when burned:
– More than 70 of these chemicals causes cancer.
– There are hundreds of different other poisons.
– Nicotine itself is a highly addictive drug, and many
additives are designed to keep smokers hooked.
What exactly causes cancer in
cigarette smoking• Once Nicotine enters in the body, a smoker becomes
addicted to it. Then the other cigarette ingredients are what
causes cancer. The cancer causing ingredients contains
thousands of chemicals and around 70 of those chemicals
are cancerous. All which are deadly.
Tar
• Tar is a mixture of dangerous chemicals. It is obtained from
numerous organic materials such as coal, wood, petroleum, peat etc
• It is the main agent that causes cancer in cigarette smoke. Some of
the chemicals found in tar are:
• It causes your lungs to be dirty and unable to expand and contract
as you breath making them useless.
• Tar is a substance that causes tumors in the tiny sacs of your lungs.
These tumors can grow over time, expand and take over your
system.
• Emphysema is when your lungs are unable to bring oxygen to your
blood and your body ultimately dies, as your heart, brain and entire
body needs oxygen to live, but all of your sacs are dirty and long
time dead.
Benzene• Benzene can cause cancer, particularly leukaemia. The
link between benzene and cancer has largely focused on
leukemia and cancers of other blood cells and Many
leukemia deaths are caused by smoking.
Cadmium
• Studies have found that the amounts of cadmium present
in tobacco smoke are capable of affecting our health. It is
a known cause of cancer, and can also damage the
kidneys and the linings of the arteries.
Formaldehyde
• A smelly chemical used to kill bacteria and preserve dead bodies as
well as manufacturing other chemicals, is one of the substances in
tobacco smoke most likely to cause cancer and other diseases in
our lungs.
Polonium – 210
• This is a radioactive element that strongly emits a very damaging
type of radiation called alpha-radiation that can usually be blocked
by thin layers of skin.
• But tobacco smoke contains traces of this polonium, which become
deposited inside their airways and deliver radiation directly to
surrounding cells, causing cancer.
Nitrosamines
• Nitrosamines are very strong cancer-
causing chemicals found in tobacco
products that damages DNA. Even though
they are found in relatively small amounts
in cigarettes, they are extremely strong
chemicals that causes cancers.
Acrolein• Acrolein can also damage the DNA that is similar to the
damage seen in lung cancer patients.
– Smoke contains up to 1,000 times more acrolein than other DNA-
damaging chemicals, this makes it a major cause of lung cancer.
Carbon monoxide
• Carbon monoxide does not cause cancer directly but it
makes it easier for other chemicals to do so.– It hinders the lung’s ability to clear away toxins and sticks to red
blood cells in the place of oxygen.
ConclusionDon’t smoke. Or if you do,
be ready for any cancer
death.
It is found out that
smoking currently causes
87 percent of lung cancer
deaths. Even those who
do not smoke directly, but
inhale secondhand
smoke, are affected by
lung cancer.
Apart from tobacco
ingestion, smoking has
other toxic poisons that
leads to cancer.
Cigarette smoke exposes the
tissue cells of the lungs to
the host of cancer causing
substances contained in the
smoke called “Carcinogens”.
This also affects DNA,
making the lung cells to be
cancerous.
But you can easily quit
smoking cigarettes by
getting assistance from quit
smoking hypnosis to get
certified experts specializing
in helping people quit
smoking.
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