smoking (tobacco)

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Inhalation (breathing in) of the fumes from burning substances, generally tobacco in the form of cigarettes. The practice is habit-forming and dangerous to health, since carbon monoxide and other toxic materials result from the combustion process. Smoking is addictive (see addiction) because of the presence of the drug nicotine in the smoke. A direct link between lung cancer and tobacco smoking was established in 1950; the habit is also linked to respiratory and coronary heart diseases. In the West, smoking is now forbidden in many public places because even passive smoking – breathing in fumes from other people's cigarettes – can be harmful. Some illegal drugs, such as crack and opium, are also smoked. In 2002, researchers estimated that there were 1.3 billion smokers worldwide, with the majority in the developing countries.

Carbon monoxide in the smoke combines with haemoglobin and reduces the amount of oxygen that the blood can carry. The link between lung cancer and tobacco smoking was established in 1950, but it is now known that all forms of cancer are more common in a person who smokes. A variety of diseases of breathing and circulation are also common in smokers. Bronchitis and emphysema are typical problems for the long-term smoker (see lung). The degeneration of arteries is more likely in smokers. This results in coronary heart disease and increased risk of heart attack. Smokers are 25 times as likely to develop lung cancer, have 2–3 times the risk of heart attack and 50% will die prematurely as a result of smoking. The habit causes 4 million premature deaths annually worldwide. Researchers estimate that by 2030, smoking will lead to more than 10 million premature deaths annually.

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