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 What does cigarette smoke contain ? |
| How is cigarette smoking harmful to human body ? |
| What is the association between smoking and cancer ? |
| What are the organs that can be affected by smoking ? |
| Types of cigarette smoking |
| What is active smoking ? |
| What is passive smoking ? |
| What happens in passive smoking ? |
| What are the effects of passive smoking ? |
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| What does cigarette smoke contain ? |
Cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 chemical agents, including over 60 carcinogens including substances, such as carbon monoxide, tar, arsenic, cyanide, benzene, formaldehyde, methanol, acetylene, ammonia, lead. |
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| How is cigarette smoking harmful to human body ? |
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| What is the association between smoking and cancer ? |
The chances of smokers becoming afflicted with cancer is very high. Several studies have shown that the various carcinogens in the cigarette smoke cause cancer formation. Cancers are most likely to occur in organs like lungs, oral cavity which come into direct contact with smoke. When the substances delivered in cigarette smoke are absorbed and spread through the human body, smoking causes cancer at various distant sites.
The risk of developing cancer is related to the
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Number of cigarette packs |
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Duration of smoking |
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Age at which smoking is started |
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The type of cigarettes smoked. |
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| What are the organs that can be affected by smoking ? |
Cigarette smoking increases the risk of the cancer in the following organs
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Lungs Cancer |
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Larynx Cancer |
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Oesophageal Cancer |
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Mouth or oral Cancer |
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Stomach cancer |
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Pancreas Cancer |
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Colorectal Cancer |
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Liver Cancer |
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Bladder Cancer |
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Kidney Cancer |
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Cervix Cancer |
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Breast cancer |
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Non Hodgkin's Tumours |
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Blood cancers like
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Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) |
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Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) |
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| Types of cigarette smoking |
Current smoker is a person who has smoked 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and now smokes every day or some days.
Former smoker is a person who has smoked 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and now does not smoke at all.
Never smoker is a person who has never smoked a cigarette or has never smoked 100
cigarettes in a lifetime.
Light smoker is one who smokes 5 or fewer cigarettes per day and occasional smokers
Moderate smoker is one who smokes 6 to 21 cigarettes a day
Heavy smoker is one who smokes more than 21 cigarettes a day. |
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What is active smoking ? |
Active smoking is the intentional inhalation of smoke using cigarettes and cigars.
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| What is passive smoking ? |
A non smoker who breathes other people's smoke is called passive smoking. It is also called as involuntary or secondhand smoking.
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| What happens in passive smoking ? |
In passive smoking, both the smoke from the burning tip of the cigarette and smoke that has been exhaled by the smoker is breathed in by the passive smoker. The various chemicals and carcinogens in the cigarette smoke can cause smoking related diseases similar to ones acquired by actual smoking.
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| What are the effects of passive smoking ? |
Effects of passive smoking depend on the exposure levels and duration of exposures. It can be immediate or late effects.
The chemicals in the cigarette smoke can cause irritation of the eyes, headache, cough, sore throat, and nausea. Studies have shown that in patients with asthma exposure to smoke can reduce the lung function significantly and new cases of asthma can be induced in children who are exposed to cigarette smoke.
A major review by the Government-appointed Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH) stated that passive smoking is a cause of lung cancer and ischemic heart disease in adult non-smokers, and a cause of respiratory disease, cot death, middle ear disease and asthmatic attacks in children.
Passive smoking increases the risk of getting frequent lower respiratory tract infections in children. Passive smoking during childhood predisposes children to develop cancer as adults.
Exposure to passive smoking during pregnancy can lead to the birth of low birth weight babies.
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