Smoking is one of the worst vices to have. It is addicting as well as bad for your health. Yet so many people people smoke not knowing the dangers they face as a result. New research into the effects of smoking shows that smoking causes changes to the genetic material within our bodies within minutes, not years, after inhaling.
Tobacco smoking in society
As one of the most common forms of recreational drugs, smoking has gained popularity among people of all age groups. It is done socially by people to fit in with society and also as a stress reliever. The psychological dependence on tobacco is far greater than other drug known. Perception surrounding smoking has varied over the years and only recently has smoking been brought to the attention of people around the world as a health hazard. Today medical science has proved that smoking is the leading cause of heart diseases, lung cancer and can also lead to birth defects.
Many countries have raised the taxes on tobacco as a means to curb tobacco smoking and many nations also have anti-tobacco smoking campaigns in place. People are becoming more aware of the problem and many pharmaceutical companies have products as means of cessation or to help quit smoking.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon and you
The latest research into smoking is raising alarm bells across the board. Genetic changes are the culprit for causing all sorts of cancers in humans as a result of smoking. The new report appears in Chemical Research in Toxicology, one of 38 peer-viewed scientific journals published by the American Chemical Society. According to the report, lung cancer alone claims more than 3000 lives a day, mainly due to cigarette smoking.
Substances known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAH are chiefly responsible for causing lung cancer. Until now, scientists had no idea of how the PAH affected the genes. Researchers added a labeled PAH, phenanthrene, to cigarettes and tracked its fate in 12 volunteers. What they found was that phenanthrene quickly forms a toxic substance in the blood known to destroy DNA, causing mutations that leads to cancer. It took only 15-30 minutes for the substance to reach maximum levels in the blood. Researchers said that it was almost as if someone would be directly injected with the substance to cause such an affect.
The study conducted is unique and the first of its kind. The warning to people is clear that if they continue smoking it will eventually cause health problems of great severity. It also serves as a warning to those who have not yet picked up smoking to remain alert and not fall into the habit of smoking tobacco in any form.
References
"Smoking Causes Genetic Changes Within Minutes After Inhaling", ScienceDaily, Jan 17, 2011
Nick Oza - Nick Oza
