SMOKING

LEARNING OUTCOMES

 Describe the effects of tobacco smoke and its major toxic

components (nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide) on
health: strong association with bronchitis, emphysema,
lung cancer and heart disease, and the association
between smoking during pregnancy and reduced birth
weight of the baby
 Recognise the fact that many people regard smoking as no
longer socially acceptable.
 SMOKING is very harmful to health. It’s estimated
that nearly one in every five deaths (of adults aged over
35 in England) is connected to smoking.
 Smoking causes lung disease, heart disease and
increased risks of several different types of cancer
Tobacco smoke contains many harmful
substances. These include:

tar
nicotine
carbon monoxide
Irritants (e.g. hydrogen cyanide,
acrolein, formaldehyde)
 Tar
Tar causes uncontrolled cell division and paralyses cilia lining the air passages. It causes
cancer of the lungs, mouth and throat. It coats the inside of the lungs, including the
alveoli, causing coughing. It damages the alveoli, making it more difficult for gas
exchange to happen. It increases risk of chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

 Irritants in Smoke Paralyse cilia lining the air passages.

Cells in the lining of the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles produce sticky mucus. This
traps dirt and microbes. Cells with tiny hair-like parts, called cilia then move the mucus
out of the lungs. However, hot smoke and tar from smoking damages the cilia. As a
result of this, smokers cough to move the mucus and are more likely to get bronchitis
and emphysema
 Nicotine
Nicotine is addictive. It causes a smoker to want more cigarettes. It causes the release of
hormone adrenalin. Nicotine also increases the heart rate and blood pressure, and makes
blood vessels narrower than normal and causes clotting . This can lead to heart disease.

 Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide is a gas that takes the place of oxygen in red blood cells. This
reduces the amount of oxygen that the blood can carry. It means that the circulatory
system has to work harder, causing heart disease. It increases the rate of fatty deposits
on the inner arterial wall. Leads to increase in blood pressure due to narrowing of
arteries.
Effects on air passages

Tar destroys the cilia (which carry dust and

microbes trapped by mucus away from the
lungs), causing the buildup of mucus and
potentially leading to bronchitis as the lining
of the bronchi become irritated
Effects on alveoli

 Tar contributes to the break down of the walls of the

alveoli, causing them to merge together
 This creates an insufficient surface area to volume ratio,
allowing less gas exchange
 This reduces the efficiency of gas exchange, causing
emphysema where less oxygen is carried in blood (making
exercise difficult)
Lung Cancer

Tobacco smoke contains many carcinogens,

including tar
Smoking increases the risk of lung cancer,
and cancer of the mouth, throat and
oesophagus
Effects on circulatory system

 Nicotine narrows blood vessels so will put more strain on the

circulatory system and increase blood pressure
 Narrow blood vessels are more likely to become clogged with fat,
including cholesterol – if this happens in the coronary artery, this
causes coronary heart disease
 This means the heart muscle cells do not get sufficient oxygen and
so less aerobic respiration takes place
 To compensate the cells respire anaerobically, producing
lactic acid which cannot be removed (due to lack of blood
supply)
 Thiscreates a low pH environment in the cells causing
enzymes to denature and eventually heart muscle cells will
die
 If enough die this can cause a heart attack
 Carbon monoxide binds irreversibly to haemoglobin,
reducing the capacity of blood to carry oxygen
 This puts more strain on the circulatory system and also
increases the risk of coronary heart disease and strokes
DISEASES CAUSED BY TOBACCO
SMOKE
CHRONIC BRONCHITIS
Prolonged exposure to irritant particles that are found in tobacco smoke may cause
chronic bronchitis.
 Epithelium lining of Air passages becomes inflamed
 Excessive mucus is secreted
 Cilia are paralysed. Mucus and dust particles cannot be removed.
 Air passages become blocked making breathing difficult
 Persistent coughing to remove irritants, this increases the risk of lung infections
EMPHYSEMA

 Persistent and violent coughing due to bronchitis My lead to emphysema

 Partition walls between alveoli breakdown due to violent coughing
 This results in decreased surface area for gaseous exchange
 Lungs lose their elasticity and become inflated with air
 Breathing becomes difficult leading to wheezing and severe breathlessness.

When a person has chronic bronchitis and emphysema, it is called CHRONIC

OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE
LUNG CANCER

Smoking increases the risk of cancer

 Cancer is uncontrolled cell division producing lumps or

outgrowths.

 Apart from lung cancer, smoking also increases the risk of

cancers of mouth, throat, pancreas, kidneys, urinary
bladder.