Smoking is the largest cause of preventable death in the western world. If everyone stopped smoking tomorrow, about 100 000 deaths in the UK could be avoided.
But people continue to smoke because of cultural pressures and because of the addictive nature of tobacco.
As well as causing lung cancer, smoking also increases the risk of coronary heart disease, bronchitis and it reduces the gas exchange capacity of the lungs.
There are two types of smoke that enter the lungs when someone smokes. Mainstream smoke passes into the lungs through the filter, which does remove some of the harmful components of the tobacco. However, the smoker also inhales sidestream smoke, some that comes out of the burning end of the cigarette. This is also a problem for a passive smoker – someone standing in the same room as a smoker. Passive smoking can also cause very serious effects on the lungs – and the person suffering has no choice or say in the smoking that causes it.
But people continue to smoke because of cultural pressures and because of the addictive nature of tobacco.
As well as causing lung cancer, smoking also increases the risk of coronary heart disease, bronchitis and it reduces the gas exchange capacity of the lungs.
There are two types of smoke that enter the lungs when someone smokes. Mainstream smoke passes into the lungs through the filter, which does remove some of the harmful components of the tobacco. However, the smoker also inhales sidestream smoke, some that comes out of the burning end of the cigarette. This is also a problem for a passive smoker – someone standing in the same room as a smoker. Passive smoking can also cause very serious effects on the lungs – and the person suffering has no choice or say in the smoking that causes it.
