CLASS 12TH INVESTIGATORY PROJECT FOR BIOLOGY

2. A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco
leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for
smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end
and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled
from the other end, which is held in or to the
mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder
may be used as well. Most modern
manufactured cigarettes are filtered and
include reconstituted tobacco and other
additives.
The term cigarette, commonly used, refers to
a tobacco cigarette but can apply to similar
devices containing other herbs, such as
cloves or cannabis. A cigarette is
distinguished from a cigar by its smaller size,
use of processed leaf, and paper wrapping,
which is normally white, though other colors
are occasionally available. Cigars are
typically composed entirely of whole-leaf
tobacco.
Rates of cigarette smoking vary widely, and
have changed considerably over the course
of history - since cigarettes were first widely
used in the mid-20th century. While rates of
smoking have over time leveled off or
declined in the developed world, they
continue to rise in developing nations

3. In the early times, people could buy cigarettes and smoke pretty
much anywhere — even in hospitals! Ads for cigarettes were all
over the place. Today we're more aware about how bad smoking
is for our health. Smoking is restricted or banned in almost all
public places and cigarette companies are no longer allowed to
advertise on TV, radio, and in many magazines.
Almost everyone knows that smoking causes cancer,
emphysema, and heart disease; that it can shorten your life by
10 years or more; and that the habit can cost a smoker
thousands of dollars a year. So how come people are still
lighting up? The answer, in a word, is addiction.
Smoking is a hard habit to break because tobacco contains
nicotine, which is highly addictive. Like heroin or other addictive
drugs, the body and mind quickly become so used to the
nicotine in cigarettes that a person needs to have it just to feel
normal.
People start smoking for a variety of different reasons. Some
think it looks cool. Others start because their family members or
friends smoke. Statistics show that about 9 out of 10 tobacco
user’s start before they're 18 years old. Most adults who started
smoking in their teens never expected to become addicted.
That's why people say it's just so much easier to not start
smoking at all.

4. There are no physical reasons to start smoking. The body doesn't need
tobacco the way it needs food, water, sleep, and exercise. And many of
the chemicals in cigarettes, like nicotine and cyanide, are actually
poisons that can kill in high enough doses.
The body is smart. It goes on the defense when it's being poisoned. First-
time smokers often feel pain or burning in the throat and lungs, and some
people feel sick or even throw up the first few times they try tobacco.
The consequences of this poisoning happen gradually. Over the long
term, smoking leads people to develop health problems like heart
disease, stroke, emphysema, and many types of cancer -including lung,
throat, stomach, and bladder cancer. People who smoke also have an
increased risk of infections like bronchitis and pneumonia.
These diseases limit a person's ability to be normally active, and they can
be fatal.
Smokers not only develop wrinkles and yellow teeth, they also lose bone
density, which increases their risk of osteoporosis, a condition that
causes older people to become bent over and their bones to break more
easily. Smokers also tend to be less active than nonsmokers because
smoking affects lung power.
Smoking can also cause fertility problems and can impact sexual health
in both men and women. Girls who are on the pill or other hormone-
based methods of birth control increase their risk of serious health
problems, such as heart attacks, if they smoke.
The consequences of smoking may seem very far off, but long-term
health problems aren't the only hazard of smoking. Nicotine and the other
toxins in cigarettes, cigars, and pipes can affect a person's body quickly.

5. • Because smoking restricts blood vessels, it can prevent
oxygen and nutrients from getting to the skin - which is
why smokers often appear pale and unhealthy. Studies
have also linked smoking to an increased risk of getting a
type of skin rash called psoriasis.
BAD SKIN
• Cigarettes leave smokers with a condition called
halitosis, or persistent bad breath.
BAD BREATH
• The smell of stale smoke tends to linger - not just on
people's clothing, but on their hair, furniture, and cars.
And it's often hard to get the smell of smoke out.
BAD SMELLING CLOTHES AND HAIR

6. • People who smoke usually can't
compete with nonsmoking peers
because the physical effects of
smoking impair sports performance.
REDUCED ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
• Smoking affects the body's ability to
produce collagen, so common sports
injuries, such as damage to tendons
and ligaments will heal more slowly
in smokers than nonsmokers.
GREATER RISK OF INJURY &
SLOWER HEALING TIME

7. • Smoking weakens the immune system by depressing
antibodies and cells that are in the body to protect
against foreign invaders. There is an association
between smoking and the increased incidence of
certain malignant diseases and respiratory infections,
according to the National Center for Biotechnology
Information (NCBI). There is also a significant decrease
in immune cells that normally help the body.
IMMUNE CELLS
• Many cancer-causing chemicals from cigarette
smoke travel throughout a smoker's bloodstream
to reach the organs of the body and damage the
immune response. Carbon monoxide is carried
through the body by smoke, interfering with
oxygen levels. Less oxygen reaches the brain, heart,
muscles and other organs. Lung function is reduced
because of the narrowing of the lung airways and
excess mucus in the lungs. Lung irritation and
damage result from invading substances, leading to
lung infection. Blood pressure and heart rate are
affected negatively by smoking chemicals carried
through the blood. The immune system does not
work as well and smokers become more prone to
infections, such as pneumonia and influenza. It
takes smokers longer than nonsmokers to get over
illnesses.
INFECTIONS

8. • Smoking can cause the body's immune system to attack lung
tissue and result in severe respiratory disorders, according to
research at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. Health
scientists examined mice to study the link between cigarette
exposure, the immune system and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disorder (COPD), a serious lung disease
characterized by emphysema and severe inflammation of the
lung tissue. After lung cells were damaged from cigarette
smoke in the lab research, the cells signaled the immune
system when the damaged cells needed to be destroyed. The
research shows that smoking actually activates certain parts
of the immune system, which works against the lungs and
attacks the tissue; it was reported in the March 2009 issue of
the "Journal of Clinical Investigation." The researchers found
a strong correlation between cellular stress signals,
activation of the immune system and development of
diseases similar to COPD.
• Researchers compared the results with tissue samples from
humans who included nonsmokers, smokers with COPD and
smokers who did not have COPD. They found that patients
who had never smoked had no trace of the lung cells that
triggered the immune system to attack lung tissue. Current
and former smokers who developed the disease had
evidence of those lung signals.
LUNG TISSUE

10. Changes in sleeping habits.
Feeling shaky or sick when trying
to stop.
Needing to take more of the
substance to get the same effect.
Changes in eating habits,
including weight loss or gain.

11. Psychological addiction
happens when the cravings
for a drug are psychological
or emotional. People who are
psychologically addicted feel
overcome by the desire to
have a drug. They may lie or
steal to get it.
A person crosses the line
between abuse and addiction
when he or she is no longer
trying the drug to have fun or
get high, but has come to
depend on it. His or her whole
life centers on the need for
the drug. An addicted person -
whether it's a physical or
psychological addiction or
both - no longer feels like
there is a choice in taking a
substance.

12. Use of drugs or alcohol as a way to
forget problems or to relax.
Loss of interest in activities that
to be important.
Failed attempts to stop taking
or drinking.
Spending a lot of time figuring out
to get cigarette.
Problems with schoolwork, such as
slipping grades or absences.
Anxiety, anger, or depression

13. One of the main dangers of smoking is due to
Nicotine. Nicotine is found naturally in tobacco. It has
no odor and no color. It is, however, both physically
and psychologically addictive, and it causes those who
use it to want to smoke one cigarette after another.
Nicotine enters the body as tiny droplets resting on
particles of tar in cigarette smoke. Inhaled into the
lungs, the drug passes quickly into the bloodstream,
reaching the brain within about 10 seconds. In another
5 to 10 seconds the nicotine has spread to all parts of
the body.
The nicotine raises both the heart rate and blood
pressure. The smoker quickly feels more alert and
relaxed. In less than 30 minutes, however, about half
of the nicotine has left the bloodstream, and the
smoker starts feeling less alert, more edgy.
So he or she reaches for another cigarette to get a
new “hit” of nicotine. Over time, the smoker starts
needing more cigarettes throughout the day to satisfy
the craving.

15. There are other dangers of smoking as well.
The tar from tobacco smoke starts to
accumulate on the bronchial tubes leading to
the lungs. The hot smoke burns the tiny hair
like projections (called cilia) that trap harmful
particles before they enter the lungs.
One more of the dangers of smoking are
Carbon monoxide. Smoking also increases
the level of carbon monoxide in the lungs.
This poisonous gas is quickly absorbed into
the blood, reducing its capacity to carry
oxygen.
As a result, the smoker has to exert more
physical effort to attain a given task than does
a nonsmoker. The heart in particular must
work harder, particularly during rigorous
exercise. Increased levels of carbon monoxide
in the blood can impair vision, perception of
time, and coordination.

16. Animal experiments showed that
nitrogen oxides lungs. It is believed
that nitrogen oxides are some
specific chemicals in tobacco that
causes lung disease and efizem
The lungs have some hairs (cilia)
that help to “clean” lungs by
removing the foreign substances.
Hydrogen cyanide prevents the
development process of clearing.
The substances of cigarette smoke
remains in the lungs.

17. Nicotine replacement
therapy involves "replacing"
cigarettes with other
nicotine substitutes, such as
nicotine gum or a nicotine
patch. It works by delivering
small and steady doses of
nicotine into the body to
relieve some of the
withdrawal symptoms
without the tars and
poisonous gases found in
cigarettes. This type of
treatment helps smokers
focus on breaking their
psychological addiction and
makes it easier to
concentrate on learning new
behaviors and coping skills.

18. These medications help you stop smoking by
reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms
without the use of nicotine. Medications such as
Bupropion (Zyban or Wellbutrin) and Varenicline
(Chantix) are intended for short-term use only.
Bupropion (Zyban or Wellbutrin) is a prescription
anti-depressant in an extended-release form that
reduces symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. It does
not contain nicotine. This drug acts on chemicals
in the brain that are related to nicotine craving.
Bupropion works best if it is started a week or 2
weeks before you quit smoking. The usual
dosage is one or two 150 mg tablets per day.
Varenicline (Chantix) is a newer prescription
medicine developed to help people stop
smoking. It works by interfering with nicotine
receptors in the brain. This means it has 2
effects: it lessens the pleasurable effects a
person gets from smoking, and it reduces the
symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Varenicline
should be started a week before your Quit Day.

20. HYPNOSIS
A popular option that has produced good
results. Forget anything you may have
seen from stage hypnotists, hypnosis
works by getting you into a deeply relaxed
state where you are open to suggestions
that strengthen your resolve to quit
smoking and increase your negative
feelings toward cigarettes. Ask your
doctor to recommend a qualified smoking
cessation hypnotherapist in your area or
refer to the American Society of Clinical
Hypnosis (ASCH) for guidelines on
selecting a qualified professional.
FILTERS
Filters that reduce tar and nicotine in
cigarettes do not work. In fact, studies
have shown that smokers who use filters
tend to smoke more.

21.  MOTIVATIONAL THERAPIES
Self-help books and websites can provide
a number of ways to motivate you to quit
smoking. One well known example is
calculating the monetary savings. Some
people have been able to find the
motivation to quit just by calculating how
much money they will save after they quit.
It may be enough to pay for a summer
vacation.

22. BIBLIOGRAPHY
1) www.google.com
2) www.esmokingsideeffects.com
3) www.causesofsmoking.net
4) http://www.helpguide.org/mental/quit_smoking_cessation
.