Note on smoking

1. Shreejeet shrestha
SMOKING
The physical and mental dependency on smoking is called addiction. The person
who has become dependent upon these chemicals, is called an addict.
An addict is so dependent upon the drugs that he cannot live without their daily dose.
The amount required to produce the required effects increases with regular use.
Source: Tobacco is derived from the dried and cured leaves of young branches of two
species of tobaccos plant (a native plant of tropical America);Nicotiana tobaccum &
N.rustica .
The tobacco was first used by the red Indians in America. It spread to European countries
in early 17th century. Today, it is smoked all over the world. Tobacco is mainly taken in
the form of cigarette or bidies (smoking),chewing and sniffing.
Toxic Substances in tobacco:-
Tobacco is a harmful intoxicant. Tobacco contains a highly
poisonous alkaloid called nicotine. It is so toxic that the amount of nicotine present in one
cigarette may prove fatal, if it is injected intravenously into a person .Continued use of
nicotine leads to addiction. Besides nicotine, tobacco smoke also contains carbon
monoxide, pofycylic hydrocarbon like benzapyrene and tar.
Effects of tobacco addiction:
Though tobacco smoking may provide some temporary relief to
the strained nerves but the regular use of tobacco causes a number of ill effects on various
organs of the body. During smoking, only 10% of the smoke is inhaled and the
absorptiort rate of the tobacco smoke is very slow and its ill effects is slow and become
evident only after prolonged use.
Effects of Nicotine:
i) If stimulates conduction of serve impulses.
ii) Stimulates adrenal medulla to secrete adrenalin hormone.
iii) Increased constriction of blood vessels.
iv) Increased rate of heart beat, blood pressure &cardiac output.
v) Relaxes the muscles.
vi) High concentration of tobacco paralyses neurons .
vii) Regular use causes addiction.
Tobacco Smoking and Diseases /symptoms:
Tobacco smoking is associated with several diseases.
a) Cancer:-
1. Benzapyrene of tobacco is carcinogenic in nature.
2. About 95% of victims of lung cancers are associated with smoking.
3. Reverse smoking causes oral cancer.
4. Lip cancer is also associated with smoking.
5. If is more common in persons smoking cigarettes than those smoking
cigar or pipe because cigarette smokers inhale the smoke with polycyclic
hydrocarbons. Tobacco smoke mutates and activates P-53 gene, which
checks cancer-growth.

2. Shreejeet shrestha
b) Bronchitis:
Tobacco smoke causes irritation and inflammation of mucosa of throat and
bronchi which causes coughing and bronchitis. The chemicals in cigarette smoke
inactivate cilia of respiratory tract so the phlegm accumulates.
c) Cardiovascular disease:
Tobacco smoke causes increase of adrenalin secretions which increases blood pressure
and rate of heart beat which may cause cardiovascular diseases .If is so as nicotine
constricts. The peripheral blood vessels and increases heart beat.
d) Emphysema :
Tobacco smoke is known to cause inflammation of lung alveoli, which decreases
surface area for gaseous exchange and cause emphysema.
e) Ulcers:
Ulcer causes increased secretion of gastric juices, which causes gastric and
duodenal ulcers.
f) Smoking is also known to cause pulmonary tuberculoses.
g) Carbon-monoxide of tobacco smoke rapidly binds hemoglobin of RBC and causes co-poisoning
which decreases O2 carrying capacity of hemoglobin of RBCs.
h) Smoking retards the fetal growth in the mother's womb.
Smokings have a greater tendency of byssinosis (acute bronchitis associated with
symptoms and signs of generalized airflow obstruction)
Besides these ill effects on human health, smoking is also known
to effect economy, mars the personality and annoys non-smoking .As tobacco –smoking
is a health hazard, so it should be avoided.
No tobacco Day-1996;-
May 31 is observed as 'No tobacco day' all over the world. Health ministry of the
world issued a media massage' Sports and arts without tobacco.', which states that no
sponsorship will be accepted from any national or Trans-National tobacco company. It is
aimed to counter the alarming health, economy and human cost being extracted by killer
weed.
A WHO reports states that about one million people (3% of worlds
population) die every year due to tobacco abuse. Recent studies have shown that death
rates for smokers are two to three times higher than the non-smokers at all aged .If the
current smoking trends continued then about 500 million people (9% of world's
population) will die by this killer weed.
Preventive Measures or Control:
i) Avoid tobacco chewing or cigarette smoking.
ii) Banned of the media of advertisement.
iii) Production of tobacco should be minimized.
iv) Say 'No drugs'
v) Educate the people about the health hazards.etc.