Smoking 'causes damage in minutes

[nabraxas]

Smoking damages the body in minutes rather than years, according to research in the US.

The report, published in Chemical Research in Toxicology, shows that chemicals which cause cancer form rapidly after smoking.

Scientists involved in the small-scale study described the results as a stark warning to people considering smoking.

Anti-smoking charity Ash described the research as "chilling" and as a warning that it is never too early to quit.

The long term impact of smoking, from heart disease to a range of cancers, is well known. This study suggests the damage begins just moments after the first cigarette is smoked.

Faster than you might think

The researchers looked at the level of chemicals linked with cancer, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), in 12 patients after smoking.

A PAH was added to the subject's cigarettes, which was then modified by the body and turned into another chemical which damages DNA and has been linked with cancer.

The research shows this process only took between 15 and 30 minutes to take place.

Professor Stephen Hecht, from the University of Minnesota, said: "This study is unique, it is the first to investigate human metabolism of a PAH specifically delivered by inhalation in cigarette smoke, without interference by other sources of exposure such as air pollution or the diet.

The results reported here should serve as a stark warning to those who are considering starting to smoke cigarettes."

Martin Dockrell, director of policy and research at Ash (Action on Smoking and Health), said: "Almost everybody knows that smoking can cause lung cancer.

"The chilling thing about this research is that it shows just how early the very first stages of that process begin - not in 30 years but within 30 minutes of a single cigarette for every subject in the study.

"The process starts early but it is never too late to quit and the sooner you quit the sooner you start to reduce the harm."

The research was funded by the US National Cancer Institute.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12193602

[Guest svarg26]

so does processed food. but you don't see the papers telling you that one.

beware of the evil cigarette smoke. but mcdonalds is your friend. take your children for their third happy meal of the week and thank god you don't smoke.

give me a break.

[Distracted]

n = 12

study = extremely early, this shouldn't be published as news imo

svarg, it's quite common for people to talk bad about processed food...

[bℓσωηG]

Would it be so harmful without the over use of hundreds of toxic chemicals? Organic tobacco is medicinal and insightful.

[hutch]

Would it be so harmful without the over use of hundreds of toxic chemicals? Organic tobacco is medicinal and insightful.

 

Good point mate....why can't they make them with out all those chemicals. There may be a damb logical reason for it but I always wondered.

[ballzac]

so does processed food. but you don't see the papers telling you that one.

beware of the evil cigarette smoke. but mcdonalds is your friend. take your children for their third happy meal of the week and thank god you don't smoke.

give me a break.

 

Why make this about an unrelated issue? This research is about smoking, and good on them for doing the research. McDonald's is not the researchers' fault.

Would it be so harmful without the over use of hundreds of toxic chemicals?

 

It would be good to see such research. If it was found that there was tobacco that was safe to smoke, it would be great. I think most people would switch to safe tobacco, and all the large tobacco companies would be forced to offer safe tobacco products. I can't help but think, however, that this kind of logic that is common in the ethnobotany community is wishful thinking.

[CβL]

I'm pretty sure that pyrolization of anything can cause carcinogens to form. Even burnt toast has been found to have increased levels of carcinogens (I can't remember if they were statistically significant or not though). I think that it's probably safer again to chew tobacco. Let the myriad of stomach enzymes have at it first I say.

[HeroicDose]

I don't smoke tobacco and I don't know much about it, but a friend smokes American Spirit, which I guess is in relation to the way the native Americans have traditionally smoked tobacco - at least in the sense that it has no additives - Does anyone here smoke that stuff? I dare say very little research has been done into the way tobacco has been traditionally smoked compared to how it is used in traditional Western culture just the same as psychedelics. Any comments?

[Guest svarg26]

the additives in cigarettes are the same as in processed food. so they are related. sorry mate.

the native americans called the tobacco plant, the mother plant. nicotine itself is not that addictive. it's the ammonia that when set alight vaporizes the nicotine. converting it from a mildly pleasant experience into a 30 a day habit. i certainly don't need a newspaper to tell me that Smoking 'causes damage in minutes. every time you take a breath of "fresh" air, you are causing damage.

go organic and try manitou.

Edited January 19, 2011 by svarg26

[ballzac]

They're some pretty strong claims svarg, and contradict what is commonly believed. Do you have any references to support these claims?

[nabraxas]

every time you take a breath of "fresh" air, you are causing damage.

damn that "fresh" air it's really got me hooked...& now you say it causes damage? damn.

[Guest svarg26]

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/67321_air20.shtml

sorry. i figured most people would be smart enough to google, toxins in air. i was terribly wrong.

my mistake.

[ThunderIdeal]

man do you ever need to pull your head out of your ass. your posting style sucks. you get into a fight every time you post anything, and it's YOU who turns it into a fight with your condescending, aggressive remarks. ignored, i don't need to see any more of your immature bullshit on my favourite forum.

[Guest svarg26]

hey ThunderIdeal,

you missed the part where i served the facts to them on a platter. sorry for being right all the time. i do apologize. i love the fact that every time i own one of you "old timer" mates you run to the rescue. very admirable of you.

keep up the good work mate.

ps; sorry about my posting style. i try my best.

[lickapop]

Good point mate....why can't they make them with out all those chemicals. There may be a damb logical reason for it but I always wondered.

 

I often wondered as well..

I found why a couple of compounds are used in a ciggy.

http://www.man-health-magazine-online.com/chemicals-in-cigarettes.html

http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/nicotineinhaler/a/cigingredients.htm

[nabraxas]

toxins in air

oohh...toxins...so you're saying that because ov all those toxins in the air you might as well not worry about lung damage, as long as you're smoking organic tobacco?

maybe so if you ride a bike in Old Delhi.

[Guest svarg26]

i suggest you worry more about what the planes are spraying on us. smoking is a choice one makes. chemtrails are forced onto us. the spraying occurs worldwide and we all suffer the consequences, as does our water and soil. but don't worry about all of that, mate. just let the newspaper tell you what to worry about.

the native americans revered the tobacco plant for a reason. maybe you should do some research of your own and figure out why.

i was right about toxins in the air causing the same damage as smoking. wasn't i?

ouch.

[Teljkon]

asdasdd

Edited December 19, 2021 by Teljkon

[bℓσωηG]

Asbestos dust from the billions of brake pads on vehicles is on my mind when im riding or walking along side a busy highway, as is fibreglass dust from the insulation in roofs , tumours and the like from these alone make me want to light up a ciggie, why not? Of course i wouldnt touch one of those cancer sticks , either , but I cant see anything wrong with a couple of nice pipes in the morn with a coffee of ze-natural.

[ThunderIdeal]

i don't think the purpose of any of this is that nobody should be allowed to smoke.

asbestos brakes are mostly a thing of the past :D

by the way, lots of people throwing asbestos out onto the sidewalk after the brisbane flood, which gets smashed by bobcats and ground to dust by their wheels

but thankfully, dust doesn't stay in the air forever. i saw some factoid which went something like this: 80% of the dust is removed from air when over a rough sea.

radioactive dust is something of a concern for me. there is such a huge number of molecules in every breath of air that we must be breathing tiny quantities of radioactive dust all the time.

svarg, why don't you try to play nice? i can easily view your posts when i want to but will mostly be leaving them invisible until you become less abrasive which i hope does happen. i've never seen anybody fit in here by being an asshole *all* of the time. by the way, you posted this link http://www.seattlepi.com/local/67321_air20.shtml , apparently you are the one letting the newspapers tell you what to worry about.

[Guest svarg26]

i hope you all hold your breath today. i would hate for you all to get lung cancer. i also suggest you look at the additives in cigarettes and get back to me with an apology. plenty of "burnt petroleum products" for everyone.

i thought ThunderIdeal had left me alone for good. i must be addictive. please save the pleas to play nice for yourself. i wasn't the one swearing and abusing people. come to think of it, i never have.

take the chemicals out of tobacco and it is as "harmless" as the air you breath. find another scapegoat. i suggest food and medication is a good place to start.

i enjoy a good friendly debate. am i the only one?

[nabraxas]

take the chemicals out of tobacco and it is as "harmless" as the air you breath.

but only if you don't smoke it...

[Guest svarg26]

"Residues of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide found in GM food and feed has been linked to cell damage and even death, even at very low levels. Researchers have also found it causes membrane and DNA damage, and inhibits cell respiration."

http://mizoramexpress.com/index.php/2010/09/is-monsanto-responsible-for-1-suicide-every-30-minutes/

this cell damage occurs in the first 24hrs. but don't worry guys, you don't smoke, so you will be ok.

[ballzac]

No one has been saying that there aren't other harmful things in our society, nor that heavily processed tobacco is not worse than more natural tobacco. What people have been saying, is that if you smoke tobacco - even if it is organically grown and additive free - you are still putting yourself at a higher risk of smoking related diseases than if you do not smoke at all. None of these links you are providing say anything that refutes this.

[Guest svarg26]

from my first comment, "so does processed food".

what exactly was i trying to refute? ballzac.

i simply stated "take the chemicals out of tobacco and it is as "harmless" as the air you breath".

since both cause the same damage. i was right. there are far worse things that you can do to your body. let's spend equal time exposing them.