A host of 'killer' toxins are found in cigarettes.
(Baonghean.vn) - A single cigarette contains approximately 600 components. When burned, the cigarette produces more than 7,000 toxic chemicals, including hundreds harmful to health, 70 chemicals confirmed to cause cancer, and many others that are highly toxic.
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Many toxins are present in cigarettes. (Illustrative image) |
These include acetone (a bleaching agent in nail polish), ammonia (a cleaning agent for floors and toilets), DDT/Dieldrin (a pesticide), arsenic (used in rat poison), CO (car exhaust fumes), toluene (an industrial solvent), methanol formaldehyde (a substance used to preserve corpses), etc. When these substances enter the body, they affect the entire nervous system, blood vessels, and endocrine system, causing cardiovascular diseases, memory loss, and various types of cancer.
Scientists have identified several horrific toxins in cigarette smoke, categorizing them into four main groups:
1. Nicotine:Nicotine is an addictive substance found incigaretteThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies nicotine as a substance with primarily addictive pharmacological properties, similar to the narcotics heroin and cocaine.
The addictive effects of nicotine are primarily on the central nervous system, causing various psychoneurotic effects such as euphoria, happy mood, increased attention span, and enhanced cognitive function and short-term memory.
2. Carbon monoxide (CO gas):Carbon monoxide (CO) is present in high concentrations in cigarette smoke and is absorbed into the bloodstream. CO quickly enters the blood and displaces oxygen (O₂).2(oxygen) on red blood cells. And so, after smoking, a certain amount of red blood cells in the blood temporarily lose their oxygen-carrying function because they have bound to CO, which is the cause of some chronic lung diseases such as: asthma, bronchitis, bronchiectasis...
3. Small particles in cigarette smoke:Tobacco smoke contains many irritants in gaseous or particulate form. These irritants cause structural changes in the bronchial mucosa, leading to increased proliferation of bronchial glands and mucus-secreting cells, and loss of ciliated cells.
4. Carcinogenic substances:Cigarette smoke contains about 70 substances with harmful properties.cancerThese chemicals affect the surface cells of the respiratory tract, causing chronic inflammation, tissue destruction, and cellular changes leading to dysplasia, metaplasia, and ultimately malignancy.
To contribute to improving the quality of life, let each of us consciously refrain from smoking at home, in the workplace, and in public places where smoking is prohibited; and at the same time, strongly oppose smoking in places where children, pregnant women, and the elderly are present.
