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How Smoking Harms
People of All Ages
- Toxic ingredients in
cigarette smoke travel throughout the body, causing damage in several
different ways. (p. 616)
- Nicotine reaches the brain
within 10 seconds after smoke is inhaled. It has been found in every part of
the body and in breast milk. (p. 616)
- Carbon monoxide binds to
hemoglobin in red blood cells, preventing affected cells from carrying a
full load of oxygen. (p. 616)
- Cancer-causing agents
(carcinogens) in tobacco smoke damage important genes that control the
growth of cells, causing them to grow abnormally or to reproduce too
rapidly. (p. 44-45)
- The carcinogen
benzo[a]pyrene binds to cells in the airways and major organs of smokers.
(p. 616)
- Smoking affects the
function of the immune system and may increase the risk for respiratory and
other infections. (p. 616)
- There are several likely
ways that cigarette smoke does its damage. One is oxidative stress that
mutates DNA, promotes atherosclerosis, and leads to chronic lung injury.
Oxidative stress is thought to be the general mechanism behind the aging
process, contributing to the development of cancer, cardiovascular disease,
and COPD. (p. 619)
- The body produces
antioxidants to help repair damaged cells. Smokers have lower levels of
antioxidants in their blood than do nonsmokers. (p. 618–619)
- Smoking is associated with
higher levels of chronic inflammation, another damaging process that may
result from oxidative stress. (p. 619)
Citation
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Health
Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention
and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2004.
Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and has negative
health impacts on people at all stages of life. It harms unborn babies,
infants, children, adolescents, adults, and seniors.
SGR Fact Sheets
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