Smoking does damage from the very first puff

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 December 2010 22:23 Friday, 17 December 2010 13:01

Just how deadly cigarettes are was left in no doubt by the U.S. Surgeon General who said that even one cigarette can prove lethal. As little as one cigarette a day, or inhaling somebody else's smoke, is enough to cause a heart attack and even death, said Dr. Regina M. Benjamin in a report. A fortnight ago, a UN study estimated passive smoking alone kills 600,000 people a year.

"The chemicals in tobacco smoke reach your lungs quickly every time you inhale, causing damage immediately," Benjamin said in a statement. "Inhaling even the smallest amount of tobacco smoke can also damage your DNA, which can lead to cancer."

The more you smoke, the harder it is for the body to repair the damage. With a weakened immune system, smoking also makes it harder for the body to respond to treatment if a smoking related illness does develop.

The report, A Report of the Surgeon General: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease - The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease, focused on the different pathways of damage caused by smoking.

Of over 7,000 chemicals and compounds in cigarettes, 70 of them can cause cancer while hundreds more are toxic and inflame the linings of the airways. Damage is caused from the moment they are inhaled, whether directly through a cigarette or through secondary smoke. The inflammation of airway lining leads to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Chemicals in the cigarettes also corrode vessels carrying blood and increase the likelihood of blood clots.

It's not just cancer that this report warns of. Diabetes, heart disease, pregnancy problems and birth-related issues like low infant weight and sudden infant death syndrome are all highlighted in the report. "This report focuses on how tobacco smoke causes damage to almost every organ in your body," Benjamin said. "One cigarette or exposure to second-hand smoke may cause a heart attack. We didn't know that before."

Worryingly, the report states that smoking is becoming more addictive as cigarette companies develop newer ways to get the nicotine from the lungs to the heart and brain faster. Compounds other than nicotine are also added to cigarettes to hook people.

Smoking kills 443,000 people in the U.S. every year and costs $200 billion a year in smoking related illnesses. Nearly 20 per cent of Americans smoke.

You can find the U.S. Surgeon General's report here.