g causes around a third of all cancer deaths (Association of Cancer Registries Pg. 21).When we breathe in, our lungs stretch to fill their air sacs (called alveoli). Oxygen passes through the alveoli wall to the blood. Carbon dioxide leaves the blood as we exhale. A smoker’s lungs also fill with gases from tobacco smoke, so other gases and chemicals enter the blood stream as well. The airways are lined with tiny hairs called cilia. Cilia help filter out dust and other particles we breath in. Chemicals in tobacco smoke have a harmful effect on cilia. When the cilium are unable to clean the airways, there is a buildup of mucous and poisons that can lead to damage and disease (U.S. DHHS “The Health”). The lungs respond to the damage caused by tobacco smoke by producing more mucus and phlegm, which makes a smoker need to cough. This is commonly known as a smoker’s cough. Smokers are also more likely to get infections in the lungs and airways due to the extra mucus secretions. This is called chronic bronchitis. Eventually the lungs loose their ability to stretch, and become hard and narrow, making breathing more difficult and reducing the ability of the lungs to work properly.Emphysema is damage to the small airways within the lungs. The elastic walls around the air sacks are permanently destroyed, and are unable to contract and expand. This makes parts of the lungs unable to work properly. Some degree of emphysema is found in almost all people who smoke more than twenty cigarettes per day (U.S. DHHS “The Health”).Smoking raises the heart rate and blood pressure, and reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood. Chemicals in cigarette smoke also irritate the airways and make then narrower. These immediate effects make it more difficult for the body to perform at its best. The carbon monoxide in the blood also can effect eyesight, response time, and coordination. Even after one day of not smoking, more oxygen ...
