The Harmful Effects of Cigarettes tar

People who smoke cigarettes are at high risks of getting many dangerous diseases including lung Cancer, blood cancer and many others. The risks of cigarettes to human health is not new, even a pack of cigarette itself contains a warning message like "Cigarettes smoking is dangerous to your health". Cigarettes smoke (Tobacco) contains three main dangers; Nicotine, Tar, and Carbon monoxide, Nicotine is the chemical that causes addiction but it is the Tar that is responsible for the biggest health risks, including many types of cancer.

Today I'll show you the danger of tar to your health, some people says "Smoking a pack of cigarettes a day is equivalent of drinking a cup of tar a year". I didn't confirm such statement whether it is scientifically true or not, may be they just relating the dangers of cigarettes smoking. Follow me on this article you will discover the danger effects of cigarettes tar, firstly let understand clearly the meaning of 'Tar'

Tar is the common name for the resinous, partially combusted particulate matter produced by the burning of tobacco and other plant material in the act of smoking. Tar is toxic and damages the smoker's lungs over time through various biochemical and mechanical processes.

Cigarette tar can also be described as the toxic chemical particles left behind by burning tobacco. This substance forms a tacky brown or yellow residue. It is not the same as tar used on road surfaces.

Tar is found in any tobacco product that is burned. The level of tar increases as the item is burnt down. The last puffs on a cigarette can contain as much as twice the amount of tar as the first puffs.

The most visible sign of tobacco tar is the yellow brown staining on smoker's fingers and teeth. Because smoke is drawn directly through the mouth, the tar can contribute to gum disease and oral cancer as well.

It damages the mouth by rotting and blackening teeth, damaging gums, and desensitizing taste buds. Tar includes the majority of mutagenic and carcinogenic agents in tobacco smoke. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), for example, are genotoxicvia.

In the lungs, Tar coats and paralyzes the cilia causing them to stop working and eventually die, causing conditions such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer as the toxic particles in tobacco smoke are no longer trapped by the cilia but enter the alveoli directly. Thus, the alveoli cannot come through with the process that is called ‘gas exchange’ which is the cause of rough breathing.

The tar does not only affect your lungs but also can affect every organ in your body and beyond cancer, can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and even affect fertility. These diseases occur because cigarette tar toxins can be carried into the bloodstream and begin moving to other parts of your body.

Most cigarettes have filters that thought to trap harmful tar and nicotine residues, these filters were first added in the 1950s when it was reported that the tar in tobacco was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Later it was discovered that still people who are smoking cigarettes are victims of diseases associated with tobacco toxins, therefore the use of filters in cigarettes never worked as well as hoped. This means that plenty of toxins still penetrate in the filter and move into the smoker's lungs, exposing them to the risks of smoking-related disease.

According to Scientific research tobacco smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals. The majority are found in the tar produced by smoking cigarettes. Two hundred fifty of those chemicals including carbon monoxide, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide are known to be harmful to smokers and people exposed to secondhand smoke. Of those, 69 are known to cause cancer.

The concentration of tar in a cigarette determines its rating. High tar cigarettes (regular or full flavor) contained 15 milligrams (mg) or more of tar. Medium tar (light) cigarettes had 6 to 15 mg, and low tar (extra light or ultra-light) cigarettes contained 1 to 6 mg of tar.

The average amount of tar in cigarettes was lowered from 38 mg and 2.7 mg nicotine in 1954 to 12 mg of tar and 0.95 mg of nicotine. It remains at that level today.

Apart from smoking cigarettes, other people may come across with the environments where cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and rolling tobacco have been smoked, this health threat is called thirdhand smoke. The smoke from these environments can even affect people who are not smoking and are around there, you may not smoke but if you trap smoke accidentally from person who is smoking, may cause strokes and other danger effects. To learn more about the harmful effects of of secondhand or thirdhand smoke CLICK HERE.

CONCLUSION

If you understand well about the dangers of cigarettes smoking you may decide yourself whether to quit smoking or not. Sudden quit of cigarette smoking is very difficult for most people, but if you plan to quit smoking you may start slowly by reducing the number of cigarettes you were smoking per day, you may continue reducing until you quit permanently.

If you've any opinions about this article, let me know by leaving your thoughts on comments section below. Don't miss our future posts, See you next time!.

Posted by: Lusubilo A. Mwaijengo