Many people believe that smoking a pipe without inhaling will not cause lung disease. The problem is that secondary smoke from the pipe is just as dangerous or more dangerous than cigarette smoke when it is inhaled. There is a higher amount of toxins in pipe and cigar smoke. According to Drugs.com, smoking a pipe is just as dangerous as smoking a cigarette. Although pipe tobacco is not normally inhaled, if it is inhaled, the damage can be extensive.
Chronic Bronchitis
One of the potential causes of chronic bronchitis is inhalation of smoke over a long period. The pipe smoker who develops chronic bronchitis may experience such symptoms as a chronic cough, and he may expel of mucus when he has this lung disease. Many of the cilia within the trachea are damaged and are unable to move particles naturally from the respiratory tract away from the lungs. When this occurs, mucus forms within the respiratory tract that is more difficult to remove.
Mouth Cancer
Mouth cancer is a disease caused by the constant irritation of pipe tobacco containing carcinogenic materials in the mouth. Pipe tobacco contains many carcinogenic--or cancer-causing--ingredients that can irritate the mouth and cause bleeding gums. The pipe smoker's teeth may decay, which fosters bacteria growth and infections. These also irritate the mouth continually. These can lead to both an increased risk of heart disease as well as cancer of the mouth.
Lung Cancer
Carcinogens entering the respiratory system and settling within the lung beds can cause lung cancer. The smoker is exposed over a long time to pipe smoke. He then may develop this disease because the risk of getting lung cancer is greater with smoking. Although pipe smokers claim they do not inhale the smoke, the smoke still is inhaled as secondary smoke. According to Drugs.com, studies have proven that pipe smoke causes lung damage when it is inhaled.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, more commonly known as COPD, may be caused by the constant flow of pipe smoke into the lungs. While COPD may be caused by other things, pipe smoking for years may damage the lungs by affecting the air sacs called alveoli. These air sacs are important in the delivery of air within the respiratory system. The airways of the smoker are damaged with continued use.
Emphysema
Emphysema most commonly is caused by smoke entering the lungs, the Mayo Clinic reports. It causes irreversible damage to the smallest airways--known as bronchioles--in the lungs. When these are permanently damaged, the oxygen level and the volume of air coming in and out of the lungs decreases. This lung disease is fatal and requires a person to breathe supplemental oxygen in its later stages.
