How does tar effect the lungs?

Answer 1

Tar is a resin produced from the burning of tobacco. In a smoker, tar builds up in the lungs and damages them over time.Lung cancer is the most common cancer among men and women in United states and 90% of the cases are caused by cigarette smoking. The bad news is that only 12-15% cases are being cured by treatments available today, mostly because of late diagnosis. In this article we discuss about how smoking affects the lungs in different ways.

Cigarettes are a euphemism for a cleverly crafted product that delivers nicotine in just the right amounts to keep the user hooked for life before killing the person - stated by WHO Director Harlem Brundtland.

One in every ten chronic smoker is killed by lung cancer, but the rest are not let off either - they suffer from other lung diseases like emphysema, Asthma, chronic bronchitis and other forms of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

Pictures of damaged lungsWant to know what does smoking do to your lungs?

Visit this website to see photos of damaged lungs: Smokers lungs

If you are a smoker, just imagine the foolishness of self-inflicting such damage to your own precious lungs. Breath is the foundation of life and this makes your lungs one of the most vital and irreplaceable organs in your body. A chronic smoker does not gamble with life, he invites death voluntarily. Smoking can destroy your lungs permanently.

How does smoking hurt your lungs?Loss of lung elasticity - When you inhale the lungs expand and they are pulled back to their original state by the elastic tissues lining their inner walls. When you smoke, these elastic tissues get damaged due to deposits of tar. After a period of continued smoking, these tissues get so rigid that they fail to perform their function, so the lungs stay in an expanded state making it difficult to exhale. This condition is called emphysema.

Mucus clogging - The cigarette tar sticks to the thin hair like cilia along the nasal and throat passage causing them to get clogged. The function of cilia is to push the dirt accumulated mucus onto the mouth or nose for disposal. Once the cilia gets clogged it can no longer perform its function properly leading to mucus accumulation in the throat and nasal passage. Smoker cough is a common symptom among regular smokers, which is an attempt by the body to forcibly release the clogged mucus. This is how smoking affects your lungs by clogging up its protection from impurities and chemicals.

Reduction in dirt filtering - Another side effected of clogged cilia is that they fail to filter out the harmful chemicals in the cigarette smoke, with time these chemicals start accumulating in the linings of aveoli (air sacs) in the lungs. A clogged aveoli is dangerous because it hampers the oxygen and carbon di-oxide exchange with blood leading to decreased oxygen supply to the heart.

Air sacs malfunction - The air sacs lose their elasticity because of tar deposits and hence fail to expand and contract with each breath leading to congested air pockets. Many air sacs rupture because of undue pressure caused by these air pockets.

Carcinogenic deposits in the lungs - Continued deposits of tar along the linings of the lungs leads to cell degeneration. Most of the chemicals present in the tar are carcinogenic in nature and hence are toxic to the living cells in the inner walls of the lungs. With time the accumulation of toxic chemicals forces the body to create a tumor around the affected area inducing lung cancer.

ANDThe tar in tobacco cigarettes is a major cause of lung cancer, emphysema and bronchitis. The toxins from the tar can damage lung cells that keep tumors from forming. Cigarette tar also damages cilia in the lungs, which protect the lining of the lungs. In addition to the discoloring of teeth, tar can cause periodontitis, a gum disease that can result in the loss of teeth.

Answer 2

Lung cancer is the most common cancer among men and women in United states and 90% of the cases are caused by cigarette smoking. The bad news is that only 12-15% cases are being cured by treatments available today, mostly because of late diagnosis. In this article we discuss about how smoking affects the lungs in different ways.

Cigarettes are a euphemism for a cleverly crafted product that delivers nicotine in just the right amounts to keep the user hooked for life before killing the person - stated by WHO Director Harlem Brundtland.

One in every ten chronic smoker is killed by lung cancer, but the rest are not let off either - they suffer from other lung diseases like emphysema, asthma, chronic bronchitis and other forms of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

Pictures of damaged lungsWant to know what does smoking do to your lungs?

Visit this website to see photos of damaged lungs: Smokers lungs

If you are a smoker, just imagine the foolishness of self-inflicting such damage to your own precious lungs. Breath is the foundation of life and this makes your lungs one of the most vital and irreplaceable organs in your body. A chronic smoker does not gamble with life, he invites death voluntarily. Smoking can destroy your lungs permanently.

How does smoking hurt your lungs?Loss of lung elasticity - When you inhale the lungs expand and they are pulled back to their original state by the elastic tissues lining their inner walls. When you smoke, these elastic tissues get damaged due to deposits of tar. After a period of continued smoking, these tissues get so rigid that they fail to perform their function, so the lungs stay in an expanded state making it difficult to exhale. This condition is called emphysema.

Mucus clogging - The cigarette tar sticks to the thin hair like cilia along the nasal and throat passage causing them to get clogged. The function of cilia is to push the dirt accumulated mucus onto the mouth or nose for disposal. Once the cilia gets clogged it can no longer perform its function properly leading to mucus accumulation in the throat and nasal passage. Smoker cough is a common symptom among regular smokers, which is an attempt by the body to forcibly release the clogged mucus. This is how smoking affects your lungs by clogging up its protection from impurities and chemicals.

Reduction in dirt filtering - Another side effected of clogged cilia is that they fail to filter out the harmful chemicals in the cigarette smoke, with time these chemicals start accumulating in the linings of aveoli (air sacs) in the lungs. A clogged aveoli is dangerous because it hampers the oxygen and carbon di-oxide exchange with blood leading to decreased oxygen supply to the heart.

Air sacs malfunction - The air sacs lose their elasticity because of tar deposits and hence fail to expand and contract with each breath leading to congested air pockets. Many air sacs rupture because of undue pressure caused by these air pockets.

Carcinogenic deposits in the lungs - Continued deposits of tar along the linings of the lungs leads to cell degeneration. Most of the chemicals present in the tar are carcinogenic in nature and hence are toxic to the living cells in the inner walls of the lungs. With time the accumulation of toxic chemicals forces the body to create a tumor around the affected area inducing lung cancer.

ANDThe tar in tobacco cigarettes is a major cause of lung cancer, emphysema and bronchitis. The toxins from the tar can damage lung cells that keep tumors from forming. Cigarette tar also damages cilia in the lungs, which protect the lining of the lungs. In addition to the discoloring of teeth, tar can cause periodontitis, a gum disease that can result in the loss of teeth.

Answer 3

tar stops your cilia from beating. those are tine hairs which carry out the dirt of the lung. also it makes the size of the area were diffusion happens smaller. it clougth up the alveoli were oxygen is switch with CO2

the carbon monoxide also cuts down the oxygen level. tar also increases the risk of lung cancer.

Answer 4

Cigarette smoke is composed of combustible materials - mostly hydrocarbons - that are responsible for the "tar" that forms in the lungs. The smoke also contains an incredibly high number of chemicals that directly cause cancer - that is, carcinogens. When you expose your lungs to these carcinogens for years and years, they can essentially invade the cells of your lungs and manipulate the DNA of these cells ultimately causing them to grow out of control into a cancerous state. I am not certain the role that the "tar" in and of itself has on carcinogenesis except for the fact that many of the hydrocarbons that make up tar are actually carcinogens. One example would be benzene. Keep in mind that smoking doesn't just cause cancer, it actually causes more health problems than any commonly used substance or lifestyle factor. These include:

chronic bronchitis/emphysema

susceptibility to colds, sinus infection, pneumonia

oral cancer, throat cancer, pretty much all head and neck cancers, likely colon cancer

dental cavities, poor oral hygiene

heart attacks, strokes, peripheral vascular disease, blot clots (DVT), pulmonary embolism

contributes to poor bone health - osteoporosis

impotence

retinal artery occlusion - blindness

and the list goes on

Answer 5

The tar is sticky and adheres to the moist tissue of the cilia surrounding the alveoli, eventially causing them to shrink and lose function. If the tar enters the alveoli, it can stimulate the growth of cancerous cells.

Answer 6

When a smoker smokes a cigarette, the smoke is inhaled into the lungs. The smoke is the gas form of the tar from the cigarette and thus tar ends up in the lungs.

Answer 7

yes