Discover Why Cancer of the Lung is Caused by Smoking Tobacco Cigarettes

We all know that smoking cigarettes is dangerous. Tobacco smoke causes a variety of debilitating illnesses, lots of which lead to an early death. And, most of those illnesses produce a prolonged period of lifestyle decline prior to death.

We probably all understand that people continue to smoke cigarettes because they are hooked on nicotine. After a year or so of regular smoking the human brain changes and requires nicotine to feel normal. You notice you are addicted once you become irritable whenever you go too long without a cigarette. The physically powerful dependence on nicotine is due to the very fast return to a normal feeling once you begin smoking.

The smoke from cigarettes consists largely of air containing nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide. But, it is the 3500 to 4000 other chemical compounds in the smoke that trigger the damage. Approximately 55 of those compounds are carcinogens that can trigger a number of cancerous tumors in laboratory animals or humans. And more than 20 of these carcinogens have been verified as causing lung tumors in at least one animal species.

Certain compounds, like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), in tobacco smoke work to promote the expansion of cancerous tumors. These compounds attach or bind to DNA and injure the DNA structure. When the DNA cells attempt to replicate, a mutation can result and start a cancerous tumor.

The body provides some control over these mutated cells. Some cells can be prevented from further replication, other cells can be repaired, and still other cells could be programmed for an early death. But, if these mechanisms of aberrant cell control themselves turn out to be damaged, normal growth control fails and the cells reproduce in an uncontrolled fashion. This is how a lung cancer develops and spreads to adjoining organs.

Other compounds in tobacco smoke have to transition through chemical changes before they will bind to DNA and start their destruction. Whether it is a direct assault on the DNA or an indirect chemical transformation, its these DNA adducts that trigger the uncontrolled replication we call a cancer.

You'll be happy to learn that over 80% of people who smoke never develop lung cancer. But, dodging lung cancer does not mean that the tars and other compounds in tobacco smoke won't take their toll on lung function. Many people without lung cancer require oxygen and have drastically reduced lifestyles due to cigarette smoking.

The most important advice is to quit smoking. After 5 years of non-smoking, your risk of lung cancer is greatly reduced.

If you have tried to quit smoking but find the addiction to nicotine too physically powerful, you may still get the nicotine your body needs without the tars and other compounds found in tobacco smoke. Using a miniature battery and heater, these smokeless cigarettes vaporize a small quantity of nicotine and some optionally available flavoring to provide the sensation of smoking. You probably have seen commercials for these products. Reduce your chances for lung cancer, quit smoking, and try the smokeless cigarettes for your own health.