1. Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice of
burning tobacco and inhaling the smoke (consisting of
particle and gaseous phases). That is to say, taking
tobacco smoke into the mouth, and then releasing it.
The practice may have begun as early as 5000-3000
BC. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 17th
century where it followed common trade routes. The
practice encountered criticism from its first import
into the Western world onwards, but embedded itself
in certain regions of a number of societies before
becoming widespread upon the introduction of
automated cigarette-rolling apparatus.
2. Consumption
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed
from the fresh leaves of plants in the
genus Nicotiana. Before packaging, the
tobacco is often combined with other
additives in order to enhance the addictive
potency, shift the products pH, or improve the
effects of smoke by making it more palatable.
The product is then processed, packaged, and
shipped to consumer markets. There are more
than 10 different methods of consumption,
though the most common are:
3. • Cigars are cylinders of tobacco rolled in tobacco leaves which are lit for
smoking. They are generally not inhaled because of the high alkalinity of
the smoke, which can quickly become irritating to the trachea and lungs.
To smoke a cigar, a smoker cuts the closed end or 'cap', lights the other
end, then puts the unlit end into the mouth and draws smoke into the
mouth. Some smokers inhale the smoke into the lungs, particularly
with little cigars, but this is uncommon otherwise. A smoker may swirl the
smoke around in the mouth before exhaling it, and may exhale part of the
smoke through the nose in order to smell the cigar better as well as to
taste it.
• Cigarettes (French for "small cigar") are a product consumed through
smoking and manufactured out of cured and finely cut tobacco leaves and
reconstituted tobacco, often combined with other additives, which are
then rolled or stuffed into a paper-wrapped cylinder. Cigarettes are ignited
and inhaled, usually through a cellulose acetate filter, into the mouth and
lungs. Cigarettes carry serious health risks, which are more prevalent than
in other tobacco products. Nicotine, the primary psychoactive chemical in
tobacco and therefore cigarettes, is addictive. About half of cigarette
smokers die of tobacco-related disease and lose on average 14 years of
life. Cigarette use by pregnant women has also been shown to cause birth
defects, including low birth weight, fetal abnormalities, and premature
birth.
4. • Roll-Your-Own (RYO), also called ‘rollies’, are hand-rolled cigarettes
prepared from loose tobacco, cigarette papers and filters, all bought
separately. Hand-rolled cigarettes give smokers the ability to roll cigarettes
of any diameter, thereby varying the strength of the cigarette. RYO cigarettes
are not a healthier alternative to regular cigarettes, although it may have
some advantages. Some of these include that RYO do not contain all the
chemical compounds regular ones do, people may smoke less considering
that RYO involves rolling it first, and the price is much lower. This last aspect
may be considered a disadvantage too, because smokers may be
encouraged to buy more rollies considering the lower price. On the other
hand, the disadvantages are that they contain the following toxins: tar,
nicotine, carbon monoxide and several tobacco carcinogens.
• Pipe smoking is the practice of tasting or inhaling the smoke produced by
burning tobacco in a pipe. Shredded pieces of tobacco are placed into the
chamber and ignited. The overall health risks are 10% higher in pipe smokers
than in nonsmokers. However, in the cases where pipe smokers have the
habit of smoke inhalation, there is a 30% increase in the risk of heart
disease and a nearly three times greater risk of developing Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. In addition, mortality is relatively high due
to lung and other cancers, as well as periodontal problems, such
as tooth and bone loss.
5. • Passive smoking is the usually involuntary
consumption of smoked tobacco by persons
other than the intended "active" smoker. It occurs
when tobacco smoke permeates any
environment, causing its inhalation by people
within that environment. Second-hand smoke
(SHS) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is
the consumption where the burning end is
present. Third-hand smoke is the consumption of
the smoke that remains after the burning end has
been extinguished. The 'third-hand' component
of the term is a reference to the remnants on
surfaces after SHS has cleared out.
6. Toxicity of tobacco smoke
Cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco are made from dried tobacco
leaves, and ingredients are added for flavor and to make smoking
more pleasant. The smoke from these products is a complex mixture
of chemicals produced by the burning of tobacco and its additives.
Tobacco smoke is made up of more than 7,000 chemicals, including
over 70 known to cause cancer (carcinogens). Some of these
substances cause heart and lung diseases, too, and all of them can be
lethal. Many of the chemicals found in tobacco smoke include:
• Cyanide (a salt or ester of hydrocyanic acid)
• Benzene (a colorless volatile liquid hydrocarbon present in coal tar
and petroleum)
• Formaldehyde (a colorless pungent gas in solution made by
oxidizing methanol)
• Methanol (wood alcohol)
• Acetylene (the fuel used in welding torches)
• Ammonia (a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent smell)
7. Tobacco smoke also contains tar and the poison gases
carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The ingredient that
produces the effect people are looking for is nicotine, a
colorless, addictive and stimulant drug and one of the
harshest toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke.
The tobacco leaves used to make cigarettes and cigars
contain radioactive materials; the amount depends on
the soil the plants were grown in and fertilizers used. But
this means that the smoke contains small amounts of
radioactive material, too, which smokers take into their
lungs as they inhale. These radioactive particles build up
in the lungs, and over time can mean a big dose of
radiation. This may be another key factor in smokers
getting lung cancer.
8. Health risks of tobacco smoking
Tobacco use most commonly leads to diseases affecting the heart and lungs and will
most commonly affect areas such as hands or feet with first signs of smoking related
health issues showing up as numbness, with smoking being a major risk factor
for heart attacks, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema,
and cancer, particularly lung cancer, cancers of the larynx and mouth, and pancreatic
cancer. Overall life expectancy is also reduced in long term smokers, with estimates
ranging from 10 to 17.9 years fewer than nonsmokers. About one half of long term
male smokers will die of illness due to smoking. The association of smoking with lung
cancer is strongest, both in the public perception and etiologically. Among male
smokers, the lifetime risk of developing lung cancer is 17.2%; among female smokers,
the risk is 11.6%. This risk is significantly lower in nonsmokers: 1.3% in men and 1.4%
in women. If one looks at men who continue to smoke tobacco, the risk increases to
one in six.
The health risks of smoking are not uniform across all smokers. A person's
increased risk of contracting disease is directly proportional to the length of time that
a person continues to smoke as well as the amount smoked. However, if someone
stops smoking, then these chances gradually decrease as the damage to their body is
repaired. A year after quitting, the risk of contracting heart disease is half that of a
continuing smoker. Smoking "light" cigarettes does not reduce the risk.
14. Multiple-choice questions
1. The practice of tobacco smoke began between the years:
a) 8000 BC – 6000 BC
b) 5000 BC – 3000 BC
c) 1000 BC – 200 AD
d) 400 AD – 700 AD
2. Pipe smoking is the practice of:
a) cutting the closed end, lighting the other end, then putting the unlit end into the mouth and
drawing smoke into the mouth.
b) igniting and inhaling, usually through a cellulose acetate filter, into the mouth and lungs.
c) hand-rolling cigarettes prepared from loose tobacco, cigarette papers and filters.
d) tasting or inhaling the smoke produced by burning tobacco using a device.
3. For smoking, Roll-Your-Own cigarettes are:
a) a healthy , more comfortable and more expensive alternative to regular cigarettes.
b) an unhealthier and more comfortable alternative than regular cigarettes.
c) a less unhealthy, more uncomfortable and cheaper alternative to regular cigarettes.
4. Passive smoking is:
a) the involuntary consumption of smoked tobacco by people within the environment.
b) the consumption of the smoke that remains after the burning end has been extinguished.
c) the consumption of the smoke where the burning end is present.
5. Nicotine is:
a) an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana.
b) a colorless, addictive and stimulant drug.
c) a colorless volatile liquid hydrocarbon present in coal tar and petroleum.
