Smoking cigarettes and cigars produces tobacco smoke condensate, also known as tar. These gummy particles consist of a large number of toxic chemicals created by burning tobacco. Although cigarette filters are intended to trap tar and spare smokers from excess tar exposure, even low tar cigarettes present significant health risks. Tar impacts human health in a number of ways, including increasing the risk of bronchitis, emphysema and lung cancer.
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Bronchitis
The effects of tar in cigarette smoke include increased risk of bronchitis. Inflammation of the lining of the airways connecting the trachea to the lungs, called the bronchial tubes, occurs when the tissues become irritated. It becomes harder than normal to breathe, resulting in a consistent, hacking cough. Chronic bronchitis causes bronchial tubes to be red and swollen on a continuous basis and produce excessive mucus over time.
Those with chronic bronchitis become more susceptible to airway and lung bacterial infections like pneumonia. Decreased immune system reactions may make killing off bacterial infections difficult.
Emphysema
Emphysema develops when the air sacs at the base of tiny air passages called bronchioles gradually break down due to either a protein deficiency or smoking. According to The Mayo Clinic, the irritating chemicals in cigarette smoke, including tar, are the leading cause of emphysema. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest tightness, chronic coughing, fatigue and decreased physical activity ability. Emphysema eventually prevents oxygen entering the lungs from reaching the blood stream. Treatment cannot reverse lung damage from emphysema but can slow down the progression.
Emphysema may exacerbate other chronic conditions, like diabetes and heart failure.
Lung Cancer
A study by the American Cancer Society indicates an increased risk of lung cancer correlates to the estimated total milligrams of tar from cigarette smoke to which a person is exposed. Lung cancer ranks as the leading cause of cancer deaths for Americans. Preventing or stopping the use of tobacco, including exposure to tar, could nearly eliminate lung cancer.
If caught in an early stage, the five year relative survival rate for lung cancer is 31 percent. Chances of survival decrease with each stage of the disease.
References
- GreenFacts: Glossary - Tobacca Smoke Condensate
- Kidshealth.org: Bronchitis
- The Mayo Clinic: Emphysema
- PubMed U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health: Lung cancer risk is proportional to cigarette tar yield: evidence from a prospective study
- American Cancer Society: Lung Cancer - Small Cell
