Tobacco according to Musk William and De Klerk was developed from plants originated in Americas around Peru and Ecuador. Tobacco then was brought to Europe by early explorers where it was adopted by the society. Smoking tobacco in pipes of any sort gave way to hand made and later this led to manufacturing cigarettes especially during the First World War. During the 20 th century there was a rapid increase in most especially in developed countries. The result was epidemic of smoking-related disease such as lung cancer.
Musk and De klerk (2003) observed that tobacco smoking is a major cause of a vast number of health problem and has other adverse effects. This paper will focus on the effects of cigarette smoking and how it affects all classes of people in the society. One of the effects of tobacco smoking was seen on the frequency of micronuclei in human lymphocytes, the results were usually negative. Lymphocytes are White Blood Cells consisting of T cells and B cells. It was believed that “smokers usually have lower frequencies of micronuclei than non-smokers” as stated in Immunotherapy weekly (2003). Heavy smokers show a significant increase in genotoxic damage measured by the micronucleus in lymphocytes.
Apart from the lower frequencies of micronuclei the growth cycle of T cell is inhibited by both hydroquinone and Catechol the two cigarettes smoke components, Biotech week (2003). The researchers reasoned that cigarette smoking caused profound suppression of pulmonary T cell responses which is associated with increased susceptibility to respiratory track infections and decreased tumor surveillance. It becomes obvious that hydroquinone and catechol, at concentrations comparable to those found in cigarette smoke are inhibitors of T cell activation and proliferation. Heavy smoking is associated with cognitive impairment and decline in midlife.
It has been observed that those who smoked more than twenty cigarettes per day at age 43 to 53 years are likely to have more rapid decline in memory as well as slower visual search speeds. Smoking being associated with cognition has direct effect on the nervous system. The use of tobacco contributes “approximately 30% of all mortality among individuals between ages 35 and 69 years the largest shown premature death in the industrialized world.” This is as a result of memory impairment been shown to predict dementia. Dementia is severely impaired memory and reasoning ability followed by disturbed behavior as a result of damaged brain tissue Richard and others (2003). Besides, if the smokers eventually survive into later age the tendency is that they might be at high risk of clinically significant cognitive decline. Again middle-aged men who are long-term heavy smokers face twice the risk of developing more aggressive forms of prostate cancer than those who have never smoked, according to findings by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Men under age 65 those who smoke a pack a day for 40 years or two packs a day for 20 years face a 60% increased risk of prostate cancer overall relative to nonsmokers reported Stanford of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. It was believed that prostate cancer is one of the malignancies in which cigarette smoking plays a vital role. This is because cigarette smoking “alters a man’s hormonal milieu by tilting the scale toward a hormonal environment that may be conducive to tumor growth” stated in Biotech week (2003). Middle-aged men who are long-term heavy smokers face twice the risk of developing more aggressive forms of prostate cancer than those who have never smoked, according to findings by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Men under age 65 those who smoke a pack a day for 40 years or two packs a day for 20 years face a 60% increased risk of prostate cancer overall relative to nonsmokers reported Stanford of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. It is believed that prostate cancer is one of the malignancies in which cigarette smoking plays a vital role. This is because cigarette smoking “alters a man’s hormonal milieu by tilting the scale toward a hormonal environment that may be conducive to tumor growth” Biotech week (2003). Cigarette smoking may promote prostrate cancer through several ways; it can increase the amount of circulating androgens resulting in the growth of normal and malignant prostate cells. Again cadmium inhibits DNA repair which allows cancer cells to mutate and multiply.
“Cadmium has been shown to be concentrated in the prostrate, so this may be one chemical exposure from cigarette smoking that has an adverse biological effect on the prostrate” Biotech (2003). Other smoking-related cancers include those of the bladder, cervix, esophagus, pancreas, and kidney. Long-term tobacco smoking is the overwhelming risk factor for lung cancer. This involves benzypyrene a chemical found in tobacco smoke mutates the P 53 tumor suppressor gene.
P 53 function is to prevent cancerous changes. It does this by producing protein that stops cell division when cells are damaged or stressed, as often happen in cancer cells. However, when the P 53 protein can’t be produced as a result of mutation in the P 53 genes caused by benzypyrene, the control doesn’t take place and even the cell division remains unchecked. This will promote the development of cancer. “Most of the cancers involve a mutated or absent of P 53 gene.” Even non-smokers can have significant lung cancer risk by inhaling tobacco smoke. The report by the Environmental Protection Agency showed that 3, 000 people in the United States are killed each year as a result of lung cancer caused by “regularly breathing secondhand smoke” (Cecil 2003).
Cigarette-smoking has its effects in women. According to Women’s health weekly (2003) long-term cigarette smoking may increase the risk of epithelial ovarian tumors. Women who had smoked several years had an increased of epithelial ovarian cancer. Maternal smoking during pregnancy has adverse effects on the fetus. First, cigarette smoke interferes with the normal placenta function this is because the metabolites of cigarette smoke passes through the placenta from the mother to the fetus thereby reducing uterine blood flow up to 30%. Having acted as vasoconstrictors that is depriving fetus of the nutrients and oxygen it suppose to get from the mother will result in “episodic fetal hypoxia-ischemia and malnutrition.” Eventually, this will lead to the fetal intrauterine growth retardation seen in many infants born to smoking mothers.
Furthermore, low levels of cigarette smoking may expose the fetus to harmful amounts of nicotine this will likely produce neuronal damage or deficit in fetal brain development as stated by Law and others. Cigarette smoking not only has its effect on the adults but also on the fetus and infants. Smoking during pregnancy affects newborn neuro behavioral observed by Law and others (2003). Maternity smoking during pregnancy is one of the factors responsible for Low Birth Weight (LBW).
Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are likely to have LBW infants. This is because smoking during pregnancy was noted to accounts for 20 to 30% of all LBW infants. LBW infants usually weigh within the range of 2500 to 2600 g that is 150 to 250 g less than infants born to non-smoking mothers Law and others (2003). Some of these LBW don’t usually survive, about 65% of deaths in the United States occur among the LBW. What a great loss to the society! The tobacco infants are usually hypertonic, showed more excitability and therefore require more handling to keep them in quiet alert state.
They also exhibit stress / abstinence signs especially in the nervous system, gastrointestinal, and visual systems. These effects could indicate deficits that might result in lower IQ and even the development of attention -deficit disorder in later years Law (2003). Finally, cigarette smoking has really impacted the society in a negative tremendous ways. It has been observed that each year in the United States an approximately 440, 000 persons die of a cigarette smoking attributable diseases such as stroke, heart attack, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and specific cancer types, including lung, bladder, mouth, pharynx, esophagus, cervix, kidney, larynx, or pancreas, resulting in $75 billion in direct medical costs and $82 billion in lost productivity Hyland and others (2003). All classes of people in the society suffer from these serious illnesses associated to smoking. The negative effects of cigarette smoking are overwhelming causing the society a huge lost in al i cation..