Tobacco smokingTobacco smoking is the practice ofburning tobacco and inhaling the smoke (consisting ofparticle and gaseous phases). That is to say, takingtobacco smoke into the mouth, and then releasing it.The practice may have begun as early as 5000-3000BC. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 17thcentury where it followed common trade routes. Thepractice encountered criticism from its first importinto the Western world onwards, but embedded itselfin certain regions of a number of societies beforebecoming widespread upon the introduction ofautomated cigarette-rolling apparatus.

Consumption

Tobacco is an agricultural product processedfrom the fresh leaves of plants in thegenus Nicotiana. Before packaging, thetobacco is often combined with otheradditives in order to enhance the addictivepotency, shift the products pH, or improve theeffects of smoke by making it more palatable.The product is then processed, packaged, andshipped to consumer markets. There are morethan 10 different methods of consumption,though the most common are:

• Cigars are cylinders of tobacco rolled in tobacco leaves which are lit forsmoking. They are generally not inhaled because of the high alkalinity ofthe smoke, which can quickly become irritating to the trachea and lungs.To smoke a cigar, a smoker cuts the closed end or 'cap', lights the otherend, then puts the unlit end into the mouth and draws smoke into themouth. Some smokers inhale the smoke into the lungs, particularlywith little cigars, but this is uncommon otherwise. A smoker may swirl thesmoke around in the mouth before exhaling it, and may exhale part of thesmoke through the nose in order to smell the cigar better as well as totaste it.

• Cigarettes (French for "small cigar") are a product consumed throughsmoking and manufactured out of cured and finely cut tobacco leaves andreconstituted tobacco, often combined with other additives, which arethen rolled or stuffed into a paper-wrapped cylinder. Cigarettes are ignitedand inhaled, usually through a cellulose acetate filter, into the mouth andlungs. Cigarettes carry serious health risks, which are more prevalent thanin other tobacco products. Nicotine, the primary psychoactive chemical intobacco and therefore cigarettes, is addictive. About half of cigarettesmokers die of tobacco-related disease and lose on average 14 years oflife. Cigarette use by pregnant women has also been shown to cause birthdefects, including low birth weight, fetal abnormalities, and prematurebirth.

• Roll-Your-Own (RYO), also called ‘rollies’, are hand-rolled cigarettesprepared from loose tobacco, cigarette papers and filters, all boughtseparately. Hand-rolled cigarettes give smokers the ability to roll cigarettesof any diameter, thereby varying the strength of the cigarette. RYO cigarettesare not a healthier alternative to regular cigarettes, although it may havesome advantages. Some of these include that RYO do not contain all thechemical compounds regular ones do, people may smoke less consideringthat RYO involves rolling it first, and the price is much lower. This last aspectmay be considered a disadvantage too, because smokers may beencouraged to buy more rollies considering the lower price. On the otherhand, the disadvantages are that they contain the following toxins: tar,nicotine, carbon monoxide and several tobacco carcinogens.

• Pipe smoking is the practice of tasting or inhaling the smoke produced byburning tobacco in a pipe. Shredded pieces of tobacco are placed into thechamber and ignited. The overall health risks are 10% higher in pipe smokersthan in nonsmokers. However, in the cases where pipe smokers have thehabit of smoke inhalation, there is a 30% increase in the risk of heartdisease and a nearly three times greater risk of developing ChronicObstructive Pulmonary Disease. In addition, mortality is relatively high dueto lung and other cancers, as well as periodontal problems, suchas tooth and bone loss.

• Passive smoking is the usually involuntaryconsumption of smoked tobacco by personsother than the intended "active" smoker. It occurswhen tobacco smoke permeates anyenvironment, causing its inhalation by peoplewithin that environment. Second-hand smoke(SHS) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) isthe consumption where the burning end ispresent. Third-hand smoke is the consumption ofthe smoke that remains after the burning end hasbeen extinguished. The 'third-hand' componentof the term is a reference to the remnants onsurfaces after SHS has cleared out.

Toxicity of tobacco smokeCigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco are made from dried tobaccoleaves, and ingredients are added for flavor and to make smokingmore pleasant. The smoke from these products is a complex mixtureof chemicals produced by the burning of tobacco and its additives.Tobacco smoke is made up of more than 7,000 chemicals, includingover 70 known to cause cancer (carcinogens). Some of thesesubstances cause heart and lung diseases, too, and all of them can belethal. Many of the chemicals found in tobacco smoke include:

• Cyanide (a salt or ester of hydrocyanic acid)

• Benzene (a colorless volatile liquid hydrocarbon present in coal tarand petroleum)

• Formaldehyde (a colorless pungent gas in solution made byoxidizing methanol)

• Methanol (wood alcohol)

• Acetylene (the fuel used in welding torches)

• Ammonia (a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent smell)

Tobacco smoke also contains tar and the poison gasescarbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The ingredient thatproduces the effect people are looking for is nicotine, acolorless, addictive and stimulant drug and one of theharshest toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke.

The tobacco leaves used to make cigarettes and cigarscontain radioactive materials; the amount depends onthe soil the plants were grown in and fertilizers used. Butthis means that the smoke contains small amounts ofradioactive material, too, which smokers take into theirlungs as they inhale. These radioactive particles build upin the lungs, and over time can mean a big dose ofradiation. This may be another key factor in smokersgetting lung cancer.

Health risks of tobacco smokingTobacco use most commonly leads to diseases affecting the heart and lungs and willmost commonly affect areas such as hands or feet with first signs of smoking relatedhealth issues showing up as numbness, with smoking being a major risk factorfor heart attacks, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema,and cancer, particularly lung cancer, cancers of the larynx and mouth, and pancreaticcancer. Overall life expectancy is also reduced in long term smokers, with estimatesranging from 10 to 17.9 years fewer than nonsmokers. About one half of long termmale smokers will die of illness due to smoking. The association of smoking with lungcancer is strongest, both in the public perception and etiologically. Among malesmokers, the lifetime risk of developing lung cancer is 17.2%; among female smokers,the risk is 11.6%. This risk is significantly lower in nonsmokers: 1.3% in men and 1.4%in women. If one looks at men who continue to smoke tobacco, the risk increases toone in six.

The health risks of smoking are not uniform across all smokers. A person'sincreased risk of contracting disease is directly proportional to the length of time thata person continues to smoke as well as the amount smoked. However, if someonestops smoking, then these chances gradually decrease as the damage to their body isrepaired. A year after quitting, the risk of contracting heart disease is half that of acontinuing smoker. Smoking "light" cigarettes does not reduce the risk.

Tobacco smoking statistics

Multiple-choice questions1. The practice of tobacco smoke began between the years:

a) 8000 BC – 6000 BCb) 5000 BC – 3000 BCc) 1000 BC – 200 ADd) 400 AD – 700 AD

2. Pipe smoking is the practice of:a) cutting the closed end, lighting the other end, then putting the unlit end into the mouth and drawing smoke into the mouth.b) igniting and inhaling, usually through a cellulose acetate filter, into the mouth and lungs.c) hand-rolling cigarettes prepared from loose tobacco, cigarette papers and filters.d) tasting or inhaling the smoke produced by burning tobacco using a device.

3. For smoking, Roll-Your-Own cigarettes are:a) a healthy , more comfortable and more expensive alternative to regular cigarettes.b) an unhealthier and more comfortable alternative than regular cigarettes.c) a less unhealthy, more uncomfortable and cheaper alternative to regular cigarettes.

4. Passive smoking is:a) the involuntary consumption of smoked tobacco by people within the environment.b) the consumption of the smoke that remains after the burning end has been extinguished.c) the consumption of the smoke where the burning end is present.

5. Nicotine is:a) an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana.b) a colorless, addictive and stimulant drug.c) a colorless volatile liquid hydrocarbon present in coal tar and petroleum.