Quit Smoking
COURSE
Understand and Prevent Smoke
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What are the chemicals in tar that are carcinogenic, and how do they cause cancer?
There are over 19 known chemicals in cigarettes that cause cancer. The most prominent of these are found in two groups: organic carcinogens and radioactive carcinogens.
The organic carcinogens include polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, acrolein, and nitrosamines. The radioactive carcinogens comprise lead-210 and polonium-210, both of which decay into other radioactive carcinogens.
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How does smoking alter DNA?
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the molecular basis of heredity located in the cell nuclei. DNA is the material that makes up a person’s genes, which is necessary for the construction, organization, and function of living cells, tissues, organs, and organisms. Many of humans’ most basic traits are influenced by DNA to varying degrees, such as height, weight, types of intellectual and athletic skills, and personality traits.
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What is meant by a “safe” cigarette?
A “safe” cigarette is one that has been modified in such a manner as to significantly reduce the amount of tar and nicotine delivered to the body. This reduction is thought to make cigarettes safer to use. Modifications include the introduction of filters but also can include chemical modification of the tobacco. Although once advertised as safer, cigarette filters actually do not make cigarette smoking safer.
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What is meant by “tobacco is a gateway drug”?
A gateway is an entrance to a new and usually unexplored area.
With respect to drugs, a gateway drug is one that opens the door to the possibility of using other drugs in addition to that first drug. It is also a drug that one desires to combine with other drugs, such as drinking alcohol or coffee with smoking cigarettes.
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What effects does the Internet have on the tobacco industry and cigarette sales and on teen smoking?
The Internet circumvents four areas of government control over the sale and distribution of tobacco: (1) restricting sales to minors; (2) raising taxes to dissuade use and apply additional revenue to the healthcare costs of continued use; (3) restriction of advertising, marketing, and promotion; and (4), fostering public disapproval of the tobacco industry and its products.
