Tobacco smoke is a broader term than cigarette smoke because the first term also includes pipe and cigar smoking. Tobacco smoke is generated during the incomplete combustion of tobacco and contains over 400 chemical compounds, over 70 of which can cause cancer.
Tobacco smokedoes not always have the same composition - it depends on many factors. One of them is the type of tobacco and it is not only about its type, variety and quality, but also the length and width of the tobacco cut fiber. The glow temperature is also important. The higher it is, the greater the emission of harmful substances.
The type of cigarette is also important, i.e. whether it has a mouthpiece or whether it contains colored tissue paper. How you smoke and inhale is also important. When inhaling quickly or nervously, the tobacco combustion temperature rises (it can even exceed 900 degrees Celsius), which translates into inhalation of a larger dose of toxic substances.
Dry cigarettes, compared to moist cigarettes, emit at least twice as much nicotine. The composition oftobacco smokeis also dependent on the chemical aromas and other additives in the tobacco. All of them increase the toxicity of tobacco smoke.
Worth knowingNoble tobacco (or Multański tobacco) is a relative of the well-known potatoes and tomatoes. The Indians were the first to use it, but only for medicinal purposes and in religious rituals. In 1598, the first treatise on the harmful effects of tobacco, written by English doctors, was published.
In 1606, King James I of England issued a tract written in Latin on the harmful effects of smoking, which, translated into many languages, was very popular in Europe. However, the publication of this treatise did not h alt the spread of tobacco consumption.
In France, Louis XIII banned the use of tobacco, but allowed its use only on the orders of doctors. At that time, there was a belief about the healing properties of tobacco, especially in the treatment of rot (scurvy), caused by a lack of vitamin C.
Can tobacco smoke cause cancer?
Cigarettes are the only legally sold carcinogen in the world. US researchers have found that the chemical BPDE incigarette smokecauses mutations in a gene known to be closely related to manytumors. BPDE damages the K-RAS gene, which leads to uncontrolled cell growth.
Over 30 percent lung cancer, 90 percent pancreatic cancer and 50 percent. colorectal cancer is associated with mutations in the K-RAS gene. The substance BPDE is inextricably linked with cancer everywhere. Smoking is responsible for approximately 25% of all cancers in men and 4% in women. Studies in Europe, Japan and North America have found that smoking is responsible for 91% of all cases of lung cancer and 69% for women.
Cancer of the esophagus, laryngeal cancer and oral cancer in men and women combined, caused by smoking, account for about 43-60% of all cancers of this type. Tobacco is the main killer of Poles. The almost threefold increase in cigarette consumption after World War II meant that tobacco smoking has been the most common cause of mortality in the adult population of our country for over 40 years.
Smoking shortens life by an average of 10 years. Middle-aged Poles who smoke lose 22 years of life, the elderly (over 70) - about 8 years. Smoking is one of the main reasons why Poles live shorter than the inhabitants of the 15 countries of the "old" European Union. In Poland, about 500 underage boys and girls start smoking every day, and about 180,000 people try to smoke each year. children.
Every year, about 100,000 people die prematurely of diseases caused by smoking in Poland. people. Nearly 10 million Poles smoke 15-20 cigarettes a day on a regular basis. Almost 5 million of these people smoke for more than 20 years.
Polish women are dying of tobacco-related diseases more and more often. In the mid-1950s, it was only 200 women a year, today almost 40 times more. For several years, lung cancer has been the most common cause of cancer death in women in Poland, more often than breast cancer.
What is in tobacco smoke?
Tobacco smoke , according to cigarette packets, contains more than 70 cancer-causing substances. Smokers are not "moved". But maybe, at least some people, will be convinced by what these substances do to our body. Let's follow it on the basis of Towards a Tobacco Free Society. Report of the Tobacco Free Policy Review Group. Appendix B: Chemical Profile of Tobacco Smoke).
- Acetone
Acetone is well absorbed from the respiratory tract. Inhaling acetone vapors causes irritation of the nasopharyngeal mucosa, irritation and burning of the eyes and catarrh of the upper respiratory tract.
- Acrolein
Acrolein is exceptional for humanstoxic. During World War I, it was used as a poisonous fighting agent. Acrolein strongly irritates the mucosa of the respiratory tract and the conjunctiva.
- Acrylonitrile
Acrylonitrile poisoning is similar to cyanide poisoning. It causes damage to the central nervous system, degeneration of the liver and kidneys. In acute poisoning there are:
- nausea
- headaches
- symptoms of exhaustion
- stomach pains
- vomiting.
In chronic exposure, irritation of the upper respiratory tract, fatigue, anorexia and sometimes changes in the hematopoietic system are observed.
The agent is included in the group of compounds suspected of being carcinogenic in humans.
- Crotonaldehyde
Crotonaldehyde causes significant irritation of mucous membranes. Probably carcinogenic to humans.
- Butyraldehyde
The toxic effect of butyric aldehyde on humans is evidenced by the results of animal studies, in which it most likely causes changes in cells important for reproductive functions.
- Acetaldehyde
The main effects of inhaling acetaldehyde are mucosal irritation, coughing and even pulmonary edema.
- Propionaldehyde
Inhalation of propionaldehyde in high concentration causes liver damage.
- Aromatic amines
Acute exposure to aromatic amines causes irritation of the mucous membranes, bladder, damage to the liver and kidneys, and may cause depression of the central nervous system. It is a recognized risk factor for the development of malignant bladder neoplasms in humans.
- Ammonia
High concentrations of ammonia cause irritation of the eyes and upper respiratory tract with coughing, vomiting and reddening of the mucous membranes of the lips, mouth, nose and throat. Ammonia can make you more susceptible to viral diseases.
- Benzene
Although the main source of benzene emissions into the air is gasoline (over 80%), less than 20% of the benzene we breathe comes from this source. Meanwhile, cigarettes are responsible for over 40% of benzene inhaled by humans.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified benzene as a carcinogen because it causes:
- marrow aplasia
- anemia
- necrosis or fatty degeneration of the heart muscle, liver, adrenal glands.
Also causes leukemialymphocytic.
- Benzo (a) pyrene
Benzo (a) pyrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon that induces tumors in the organs it comes into direct contact with, such as connective tissue, the esophagus, and the lung.
- Butadiene
High concentrations of butadiene irritate the eyes, nasal cavity, throat, and lungs, and there are neurological symptoms such as:
- visual disturbance
- feeling tired
- pain and dizziness.
Epidemiological studies show that there is an association between butadiene exposure and cardiovascular disease. In addition, it is possibly a carcinogen.
- Chinolina
Inhaling quinoline triggers:
- eye, nose and throat irritation
- can cause headaches and dizziness
- nausea
Quinoline has been included in the group of probable human carcinogens.
- Hydrogen cyanide
Hydrogen cyanide is one of the most toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke. It is classified as a poisonous combat agent. Brief exposure causes headache, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.
- Phenol
Phenol is highly corrosive to mucous membranes, which is often compared to the action of mineral acids. When absorbed into the body, it has a narcotic effect on the central nervous system.
- Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde causes acute eye inflammation and irritates the mucous membranes and respiratory tract. It has been classified as a putative human carcinogen.
- p-Hydroquinone
Exposure to p-hydroquinone causes eye damage, ranging from mild irritation or discoloration of the conjunctiva and cornea to changes in corneal thickness and curvature, corneal dullness and visual impairment.
- Cadmium
Inhaled cadmium is much more dangerous than ingested cadmium. Emphysema occurs in people exposed to the fumes and dust of cadmium compounds. Another important symptom of cadmium is damage to kidney function.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has placed cadmium at the top of the list of human carcinogens. Cadmium increases the risk of lung cancer. Although cadmium is found in water, food and air, smoking makes you more exposed to this metal.
In people who smoke 20 cigarettes a day, the level of cadmium in the bloodit is 4 times higher than in non-smokers. The biological half-life of cadmium in the human body is long - over 10 years.
Cadmium is excreted in milk. Milk from smoking mothers may contain twice as much cadmium as milk from non-smoking mothers.
- Catechol
In experimental studies it was shown that catechol enhances the carcinogenic effect of benzo (a) pyrene administered jointly on the skin of animals.
- Cresol
Cresol is possibly a human carcinogen. Experimental studies have shown an increase in the incidence of skin papillomas after exposure to cresol.
- Methyl ethyl ketone
Methyl ethyl ketone inhaling the compound causes irritation of the eyes, nose and throat and inhibition of the central nervous system.
- Nickel
Inhaling nickel compounds may make you more susceptible to respiratory infections.
- Lead
The toxic effect of lead on the body is revealed in disorders of the hematopoietic system. Metal causes functional disorders of the liver and affects the functions of the central and peripheral nervous system. It also adversely affects the kidneys and the cardiovascular system.
- Mercury
Mercury vapors are especially dangerous to the central nervous system. Seizures and memory loss may occur in people exposed to mercury vapor. Damage to kidney function is also observed.
- Selenium
The most toxic compound is hydrogen selenide produced in the combustion process. It causes disturbances in the functioning of the respiratory tract, such as irritation of the mucous membranes, pneumothorax, severe bronchitis or bronchopneumonia.
- Styrene
Styrene has a neurotoxic and depressant effect on the central nervous system, causing dizziness, drowsiness and fatigue. Affects the blood and the function of certain enzymes in the kidneys.
- Nitric oxide
Nitric oxide has a negative effect on lung function and reduces the body's resistance to respiratory tract infection. Children under two years of age are at particular risk of developing chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma.
- Carbon monoxide
Inhaling carbon monoxide is especially dangerous because it combines with hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin. This combination is unable to carry oxygen, leading to oxygen starvation in the body. Carbon monoxide damage is vthe cardiovascular system and the central nervous system first.
Although cigarette smoking is a relatively minor source of carbon monoxide emissions to the atmosphere, it remains the main source of CO exposure for smokers. In non-smokers, the level of carbon monoxide hemoglobin does not exceed 1%; in smokers it is much higher - it ranges between 2% and 15%. Smoking 1 cigarette reduces the amount of oxygen available to the tissues by 8%, which is equivalent to staying at an altitude of 1200 m.
- Toluene
Chronic inhalation of toluene leads to inhibition or significant impairment of the central nervous system. A symptom of this is:
- inertia
- trembling
- brain atrophy
- nystagmus
- and speech, hearing and vision impairments.
Chronic inhalation of toluene also causes irritation of the upper respiratory tract, eye irritation, sore throat, nausea, headaches and dizziness, and sleep disturbance.
- Nicotine
Nicotine has a negative effect on all organs of our body. By acting on the central nervous system, it causes biological addiction. The very high concentration of nicotine in the body blocks the transmission of nerve impulses.
It causes an increase in heart rate, blood pressure increase and peripheral vasospasm. Smoking tobacco increases the depth and rate of breathing, which is not beneficial for the lungs and the body as a whole. With an excess of nicotine, the respiratory center in the medulla is paralyzed.
Nicotine also works on the digestive system. Small doses stimulate intestinal peristalsis, but higher doses delay it, causing gastric emptying to slow down, which is felt by the smoker as a feeling of fullness after eating.
Does tobacco smoke interact with medications?
Few people know that the ingredientsof tobacco smokeinteract with many medications. Every substance (including medicine) that enters our body is metabolized. This metabolism takes place in the liver, e.g. with the participation of cytochrome P450 enzymes, which may accelerate or slow down drug metabolism.
Intobacco smokethere are so-called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which have a significant effect on cytochrome P450. If these polycyclic hydrocarbons speed up the metabolism, the drug is cleared from the body more quickly, which means that the drug concentration decreases and its effect decreases. But it doesn't stop there.
Sudden withdrawal of cigarettes, and hence - the absence of tobacco smokeenzyme inducing factors - may contribute to changes in pharmacokinetics of taken drugs. When you stop smoking, you will not have enough enzymes to speed up your metabolism, which will translate into higher blood levels of the drug. And that can cause many side effects.
This does not mean, however, that you have to be addicted. It is only worth telling your doctor about your intention to quit smoking so that he or she can adjust the dose. The most popular drugs that interact with the ingredientsin tobacco smokeinclude
- tacrine used in Alzheimer's disease
- propranolol, a very popular beta-blocker used in hypertension
- clozapine or memantine also used in memory disorders
- a number of drugs used in gastric ulcer disease, i.e. cimetidine, famotidine and many other drugs from this group
Anna Jarosz A journalist who has been involved in popularizing he alth education for over 40 years. Winner of many competitions for journalists dealing with medicine and he alth. She received, among others The "Golden OTIS" Trust Award in the "Media and He alth" category, St. Kamil awarded on the occasion of the World Day of the Sick, twice the "Crystal Pen" in the national competition for journalists promoting he alth, and many awards and distinctions in competitions for the "Medical Journalist of the Year" organized by the Polish Association of Journalists for He alth.
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