Smoking

• Cigarette smoke contains over a thousand different chemicals.

• Highly addictive nicotine.

• The smoke damages the cilia. Mucus cannot be carried up by the cilia - smoker’s cough.

• Cigarette smoke also contains hot gases, tar and ash.

• The hot gases kill the cells in the alveoli.

• Tar coats the surface of the alveoli.

• The particles of ash damage the alveoli surface

• All these effects decrease the surface area, making it more difficult for the alveoli to do their job of exchanging gases.

Diseases caused by smoking

• Bronchitis – The lining of the bronchi becomes inflamed and infected by microorganisms. A permanent cough develops.

• Emphysema - Coughing causes air sacs to rupture, decreasing the surface area of the lungs.

• Cancer – Many substances (e.g. arsenic, benzene, aromatic amine etc.) in the smoke are carcinogens, making it easier for cancer cells to develop. Cancer cells continue to divide and form a lump called tumour.