What toxic substances are there in smoke

As we all know, smoking is harmful to health. Cigarettes contain a lot of nicotine and tar. If inhaled in large quantities, it will first affect the health of the lungs, and in severe cases it will cause lung cancer. But in fact, in addition to the nicotine and tar that everyone knows, cigarettes also contain a large amount of other harmful gases and substances, which can cause serious and irreversible damage to organs. So, what harmful substances are there in smoke?

1. Harmful substances in smoke

It is a well-known fact that smoking is harmful to health. . Different cigarettes release different chemicals when they are lit, but the main ones are chemicals such as tar and carbon monoxide. The substances harmful to the human body produced by burning cigarettes can be roughly divided into six categories:

(1) Aldehydes, nitrides, and olefins: these substances are irritating to the respiratory tract.

(2) Nicotine can stimulate the sympathetic nerves and cause damage to the vascular endothelium.

(3) Amines, cyanides and heavy metals, all of which are toxic substances.

(4) Benzopyrene, arsenic, cadmium, methylhydrazine, aminophenol and other radioactive substances. All these substances are carcinogenic.

(5) Phenolic compounds and formaldehyde, etc. These substances have the effect of accelerating carcinogenesis.

(6) Carbon monoxide reduces the ability of red blood cells to transport oxygen throughout the body.

2. The harm of smoking to human body

A person who smokes 15 to 20 cigarettes a day is 14 times more likely to die from lung cancer, oral cancer or laryngeal cancer than a non-smoker; he is four times more likely to die from esophageal cancer; he is twice as likely to die from bladder cancer; and he is twice as likely to die from heart disease. Smoking is the main cause of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and chronic lung disease itself increases the risk of pneumonia and heart disease, and smoking also increases the risk of high blood pressure.

Cigarette smoke (especially the tar it contains) is a carcinogen - that is, it can cause cancer in the tissues it comes into contact with. Therefore, a smoker may develop cancer in any part of his or her respiratory tract (including the mouth and throat). Nicotine can increase the heart rate and blood pressure. Tobacco smoke, possibly because it contains carbon monoxide, seems to promote the accumulation of atherosclerosis, which is one of the causes of many heart diseases. Heavy smokers are much more likely to die from a heart attack than non-smokers.

When women who smoke take birth control pills, the risks of taking them will increase. Pregnant women who smoke 15 to 20 cigarettes a day have twice the risk of miscarriage than non-smoking women, and are more likely to give birth to premature or weak babies. The mortality rate of babies born to smoking women in the postpartum period is about 30% higher than that of babies born to non-smoking women. There is also the so-called "extremely clean smoking", or breathing second-hand smoke, which increases the risk of lung cancer in non-smokers. Some brands of cigarettes have lower tar and nicotine content than other cigarettes. However, there is no completely "safe" cigarette in the world, whether it is used by the party, government or military. So, switching to "light" cigarettes may not necessarily help. Habitual heavy smokers usually develop a habit of taking deep puffs and lighting up their cigarettes more often when they switch to light cigarettes.

Most smokers like to swallow a certain amount of tobacco, so the digestive tract (especially the esophagus and pharynx) is at risk of cancer.

The tiny hairs that line the airways in the lungs normally keep foreign matter out of the lung tissue. These villi continuously sweep the particles in the lungs into sputum or mucus and expel them. In addition to causing cancer, the chemicals in tobacco smoke gradually destroy some of the villi, increasing mucus secretion and causing lung cancer.

Chronic diseases make them susceptible to bronchitis. obvious

In fact, "smoker's cough" is caused by the mechanical efficiency of lung cleaning being impaired, resulting in increased sputum production.

Bladder cancer may be caused by inhaling carcinogenic chemicals contained in tar, which are absorbed into the blood and then excreted in the urine.

The harm of smoking! ! !