Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

304 Lifestyle Variables: Smoking and Obesity
BREAST CANCER, RENAL CANCER, STOMACH CANCER, and
LIVER CANCER. The burning of a cigarette releases
smoke that contains more than 4,000 chemicals,
dozens of which are known carcinogens (substances
that cause cancer).
CARCINOGENS IN CIGARETTE SMOKE
acrolein
acrylonitrile
aminobiphenyl
aromatic amines
aromatic nitrohydrocarbons arsenic
benzene
benzofluoranthene
benzopyrene
butadiene
cadmium
chromium
chrysene
crotonaldehyde
dimethylhydrazine
dibenzacridine
dibenzanthracene
dibenzocarbazole
dibenzopyrene
ethylcarbamate
formaldehyde
hydrazine
hydrocarbons
lead
methylamine
methylchrysene
naphthylamine
nickel
nitropropane
nitrosamines
nitrosonomicotine
phenols
polonium-210 (radon)
quinoline
tar
toluidine
urethane
vinyl chloride
Cigarette smoking and chronic pulmonary conditions
Cigarette smoking is the primary cause of
numerous chronic pulmonary conditions, including
CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD),
chronic BRONCHITIS, and nonallergic ASTHMA. The
damage that results from COPD is irreversible and
progressive, often leading to permanent disability.
Cigarette smoking and healing The changes
that take place in the cells with cigarette smoking
slow cellular metabolism, limiting the ability of
cells to grow and divide. These functions are
essential for HEALING after injury or surgery. As
well, lungs damaged by cigarette smoking are
unable to deliver adequate oxygen to the blood
circulation, restricting a fuel source necessary for
cell function. The effects of cigarette smoking on
healing are so significant that most surgeons will
not perform elective (nonemergency) operations
on people who smoke. It is necessary to be smoke
free for two to four weeks to mitigate enough of
smoking’s deleterious action on cellular function
to allow effective healing.
Cigarette smoking, fertility, and pregnancy
Cigarette smoking affects sperm production in
men and OVULATION in women. Smoking during
PREGNANCY limits the amount of oxygen the developing
fetus receives, affecting fetal growth and
development. The babies of women who smoke
during pregnancy tend to be 10 to 20 percent
smaller at birth than the babies of women who do
not smoke. Low birth weight is a health risk for
the infant.
Smoking and Preventable Disease
Nearly all of the health consequences associated
with cigarette smoking are preventable by not
smoking. People who never smoke enjoy the
strongest preventive benefit. People who smoke
and quit can, over time, restore their health risk
for many conditions to near normal. Health conditions
such as COPD, lung cancer, laryngeal cancer,
and bladder cancer are rare in nonsmokers. Other
factors such as EATING HABITS and physical inactivity
contribute to CVD, though not smoking removes a
significant factor from an individual’s health risk
profile.
See also ANTISMOKING EFFORTS; ENVIRONMENTAL
CIGARETTE SMOKE; ERYTHROCYTE; LIFESTYLE AND HEALTH;
NEUROTRANSMITTER; NICOTINE REPLACEMENT; SMOKING
CESSATION; TOBACCO USE OTHER THAN SMOKING.
smoking cessation Efforts to stop smoking.
Tobacco contains NICOTINE, the addictive quality of
which is comparable to that of HEROIN. As well,
cigarette smoking becomes a compelling behavioral
element of daily life. Most smokers who
attempt to quit make numerous efforts before succeeding
for the long term and the risk for relapse
remains high for years. Of the 1.8 million American
smokers who quit every year, 30 percent
remain smoke free for one year.
Several medical interventions can help to
smokers break the grip of nicotine, including NICO-
TINE REPLACEMENT products (such as chewing gums,
transdermal patches, inhalers, and nasal sprays)
and the prescription medication bupropion
(Zyban), which appears to diminish the desire to
smoke. Nonmedical interventions include HYPNOSIS
and BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION THERAPY. Many smokers
are more successful with a combination of methods
than with a single approach; those who smoke