Smoking and its Poisons
Dr Allan Britton MBA LLB (Hons)
36 The Mead ,Darlington, United Kingdom, DL1 1EX
Member International Commission on Occupational Health
Member National Association Environmental Health
Member American Society Safety Engineers
Member British Occupational Hygiene Society
[email protected]
Health risks related to exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) are well established. The revised WHO Air quality guidelines for Europe conclude: ?ETS has been found to be carcinogenic in humans and to produce a substantial amount of morbidity and mortality from other serious health effects.... Acute and chronic respiratory health effects on children have been demonstrated in homes with smokers ... and even in homes with occasional smoking ? there is no evidence for a safe exposure level.? The WHO International Consultation on Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Child Health (Geneva, 11?14 January 1999) called for ?swift action to highlight the need for strong public policies to protect children from exposure to tobacco smoke?.
Tobacco what is it, where does it come from, how does it grow, and who grows it, at what cost
The species Nicotiana tabacum is widely cultivated in warm, dry climates for use in both cigars and cigarettes. The leaves are dried, and matured in storage for two to three years before use. Introduced to Europe as a medicine in the 16th century, tobacco has been recognised from the early 1950s as one of the world?s major health hazards. The leaves also yield nicotine, colourless oil, which has been shown to be one of the most powerful poisons known, and addictive in humans, and is used in insecticides.
Plantations are found away from cities, which are usually large plots of fertile land staffed by qualified farmers, who are responsible for producing superior tobacco destined to become the world?s finest premium cigars.
Once planted it takes tobacco 45-60 days to reach maturity. From 30-40 days onward, leaves are systematically removed from the plants. The plants are not allowed to flower, this extends the useful growing period to 4-5 months, and harvesting takes place from January through to the end of March. During the harvesting period leaves are picked two at a time, from here the leaves go on to be processed and made into cigars or cigarettes.
What are the Facts? The 1992 Surgeon General's Report estimates that the total lifetime excess medical care costs for smokers exceed those for non-smokers by $501 billion (£400 billion)
Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds including 43 different carcinogenic substances.
Each year about 3,000 non-smoking adults die of lung cancer as a result of breathing the smoke of other's cigarettes. A non-smoker married to a smoker has a 30% greater risk of developing lung cancer than the spouse of a non-smoker.
The total smoking-attributable costs for Texans age 35 or older is $4,135,322,468.
Eighty-five percent of adolescent smokers who buy their own cigarettes usually buy Marlboro, Newport or Camel cigarettes, the most heavily marketed brands.
Maternal smoking is responsible for 35% of all SIDS deaths in the U. S. Smoking during pregnancy triple the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
Fires from cigarettes cause 25,000 deaths each year in the U. S. and in the UK
In 1999, 65% of all secondary students reported having used some type of tobacco product during their lifetime.
Nicotine taken in by cigarette smoking takes only seconds to reach the brain but has a direct effect on the body for up to 30 minutes.
Smoking causes Eighty percent of lung cancer.
One in 5 deaths in the U.S results from the use of tobacco.
Each year, smoking claims 400,000 lives in the U.S.
Forty-eight million (24.7%) of adult?s aged 18 and older currently smokes in the U.S. (27.6% of men and 22.1% of women).
There was a 16% increase in smoking among high school seniors between 1996 and 1999.
Other information on tobacco can be found at FAQ's About Tobacco from the Texas Commission on Alcohol & Drug Abuse.
Sources: "Annual Cost of Cigarette Smoking in Texas," Texas Department of Health and M. D. Anderson Cancer Centre, 1993; "Cancer Facts and Figures," American Cancer Society, 1994; "Trends in Tobacco Use Among Youths," "Effect of Maternal Cigarette Smoking on Pregnancy: Complications and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome," DeFranza and Lew, Journal of Family Practice, 1995; "Tobacco if You Use . . . You Lose," Texas Department of Health, 1989; "NIDA Capsules: Cigarette Smoking," National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1993; "Health Problems Attributed to Use of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs," National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, 1993; Do It Now Foundation, 1996; American Cancer Society, 2/99; NIDA, 1999 Monitoring the Future Study, Secondary School Students; DoItNow Foundation.
Smoking is proving to be one of the world?s biggest killers and the most costly for health services. The costs are mounting up day by day and it is getting to the point where the costs are so high countries are close to bankruptcy. In the USA for instance smoking is responsible for something in the region of 40 to 50 per cent of all SSA (Social Security) disability cases, which adds up to a cost of approximately $2.5 billion per year. It is also estimated that private medical care insurance pays out in the region of $90 billion per year. So it can be seen that not only does smoking have a life threatening effect on the population it also poses a threat to the economic well being of each country.
But given the above what do the public really know about cigarettes for example what they are made of and what they produce. Each cigarette produces over 4000 different chemicals; some of which are known to attack the central nervous systems others are known to be carcinogens.
Each year, smoking around children is responsible for:
15,000 children hospitalised
26,000 new cases of asthma
150,000 - 300,000 lung infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, in children less than 18 months old
Over 40% of SIDS is due to mothers smoking during and/or after pregnancy or another person smoking in the house
A few of the dangerous chemicals in tobacco smoke that can affect you and your children
Chemical Description
4-aminobiphenyl.... Promotes liver/bladder cancer
Ethyl 2-furoate... A liver poison, considered for use as a chemical warfare agent
Hydrogen Cyanide. A poison used in gas chambers, responsible for paralysing and killing the cilia in lung airways
Arsenic.................... A poison used to kill rats
Formaldehyde.......... Used to preserve dead bodies
Carbon Monoxide... Replaces the oxygen in red blood cells can mimic anaemia
Ammonia................. An irritant and poison used to help vaporize nicotine so it can be easily inhaled
Nickel....................? An organ specific carcinogen
Naphythlamine?A bladder carcinogen
Toluidine................. A bladder carcinogen
Benzo (a) pyrene... A cancer promoter
Acetylene................ Used for fuel in welding torches
Cadmium................. Used in rechargeable batteries
Benzene................... Used as an industrial solvent
Now think about it, if tobacco contains even half of the above poisons, what are smokers doing to themselves let alone their children. Some of the illnesses children can catch are detailed below,
Ear Infections, The toxic chemicals in smoke irritate the lining of the Eustachian tube, which leads from the back of the nose to the ear. The irritated lining creates mucous which collects behind the eardrum. The ear may become infected and cause pain or hearing loss.
Pneumonia, Children have small airways; when an airway is irritated by smoke, mucous is produced. Sometimes one drop of mucous can close a child's airway and cause it to become infected.
Asthma, Irritants in tobacco smoke can cause the lining of the airways to swell making it difficult for a child to breathe. Tobacco smoke or even the stale odour of old smoke in a car can trigger an asthma attack in a child.
Problems after birth, Mothers who smoke during and after pregnancy may have children who are more likely to suffer behavioural problems such as hyperactivity. In one study, children from similar backgrounds who had parents that smoked scored 6% lower on tests than children whose parents did not smoke.
Birth defects, some studies suggest that smoking during pregnancy can cause birth defects such as cleft (split) lip or cleft palate (an opening between the nose and the roof of the mouth). Smoking is also responsible for low birth weight babies, miscarriages, and SIDS. Low birth weight babies.