Cigarette

"Cig" redirects here. For other uses, see Cig (disambiguation).

Unlit filtered cigarettes

A cigarette (French "small cigar", from cigar + -ette) is a small roll of finely-cut tobacco
leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end
and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in the
mouth. Most modern manufactured cigarettes are filtered and include reconstituted
tobacco and other additives.[1] Cigarettes are sometimes smoked with a cigarette holder.

The term cigarette, as commonly used, refers to a tobacco cigarette but can apply to
similar devices containing other herbs, such as cannabis. A cigarette is distinguished from
a cigar by its smaller size, use of processed leaf, and paper wrapping, which is normally
white, though other colors are occasionally available. Cigars are typically composed
entirely of whole-leaf tobacco.

Rates of cigarette smoking vary widely. While rates of smoking have leveled off or
declined in the developed world, they continue to rise in developing nations.[2][3] Nicotine,
the primary psychoactive chemical in cigarettes, has been shown to be addictive.
Statistically each cigarette smoked shortens the users lifespan by 11 minutes.[4] About
half of cigarette smokers die of tobacco-related disease[5] and lose on average 14 years of
life.[6] Cigarette use by pregnant women has also been shown to cause birth defects,
including mental and physical disabilities. Secondhand smoke from cigarettes has been
shown to be injurious to bystanders,[7][8][9][10] which has led to legislation that has banned
their smoking in many workplaces and public areas.

Cigarettes are the most frequent source of fires in private homes, which has prompted the
European Union to attempt to ban cigarettes that are not fire-safe by 2011.[11][12]
Smoking is a major cause of death and disability all over the world. In Malaysia,
smoking accounts for one out of every five deaths, amounting to approximately
10,000 deaths each year. 1

Alarmingly, while tobacco consumption has reduced in developed nations, the

reverse has been true in developing countries – prevalence of smoking among
Malaysian adults aged 15 years and above increased from 21% in 1985 to 31% in
2000. Currently, approximately 49% of adult males and 5% of adult females are
smokers. 1

Smoking is a public health concern as well, and the World Health Organization
(WHO) views it as a global epidemic as tobacco addiction is the second major cause
of death globally. Smoking and other forms of tobacco addiction are responsible for
the death of 1 in 10 adults worldwide – approximately 5 million deaths per year. It is
also the fourth most common risk factor for disease worldwide, known to increase
the risk of cancer, heart disease and respiratory diseases. 2

Kicking the smoking habit is about the only time quitting can be viewed in a positive
light – but that doesn’t make it easy.

Smoking is a major cause of death and disability all over the world. In Malaysia,
smoking accounts for one out of every five deaths, amounting to approximately
10,000 deaths each year. 1

Alarmingly, while tobacco consumption has reduced in developed nations, the

reverse has been true in developing countries – prevalence of smoking among
Malaysian adults aged 15 years and above increased from 21% in 1985 to 31% in
2000. Currently, approximately 49% of adult males and 5% of adult females are
smokers. 1

Smoking is a public health concern as well, and the World Health Organization
(WHO) views it as a global epidemic as tobacco addiction is the second major cause
of death globally. Smoking and other forms of tobacco addiction are responsible for
the death of 1 in 10 adults worldwide – approximately 5 million deaths per year. It is
also the fourth most common risk factor for disease worldwide, known to increase
the risk of cancer, heart disease and respiratory diseases. 2

Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus
Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and, in the form of nicotine
tartrate, it is used in some medicines.[1] In consumption it most commonly appears in the
forms of smoking, chewing, snuffing, or dipping tobacco, or snus. Tobacco has long been
in use as an entheogen in the Americas. However, upon the arrival of Europeans in North
America, it quickly became popularized as a trade item and as a recreational drug. This
popularization led to the development of the southern economy of the United States until
it gave way to cotton. Following the American Civil War, a change in demand and a
change in labor force allowed for the development of the cigarette. This new product
quickly led to the growth of tobacco companies, until the scientific controversy of the
mid-1900s.
There are many species of tobacco, which are all encompassed by the plant genus
Nicotiana. The word nicotiana (as well as nicotine) was named in honor of Jean Nicot,
French ambassador to Portugal, who in 1559 sent it as a medicine to the court of
Catherine de Medici.[2]

Because of the addictive properties of nicotine, tolerance and dependence develop.

Absorption quantity, frequency, and speed of tobacco consumption are believed to be
directly related to biological strength of nicotine dependence, addiction, and tolerance.[3][4]
The usage of tobacco is an activity that is practiced by some 1.1 billion people, and up to
1/3 of the adult population.[5] The World Health Organization reports it to be the leading
preventable cause of death worldwide and estimates that it currently causes 5.4 million
deaths per year.[6] Rates of smoking have leveled off or declined in developed countries,
however they continue to rise in developing countries.

Tobacco is cultivated similarly to other agricultural products. Seeds are sown in cold
frames or hotbeds to prevent attacks from insects, and then transplanted into the fields.
Tobacco is an annual crop, which is usually harvested mechanically or by hand. After
harvest, tobacco is stored for curing, which allows for the slow oxidation and degradation
of carotenoids. This allows for the agricultural product to take on properties that are
usually attributed to the "smoothness" of the smoke. Following this, tobacco is packed
into its various forms of consumption, which include smoking, chewing, sniffing, and so
on.

Major diseases caused by smoking

Cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death due to smoking.

Hardening of the arteries is a process that develops over years, when cholesterol and
other fats deposit in the arteries, leaving them narrow, blocked or rigid. When the arteries
narrow (atherosclerosis), blood clots are likely to form.

Smoking accelerates the hardening and narrowing process in your arteries: it starts earlier
and blood clots are two to four times more likely.

Cardiovasular disease can take many forms depending on which blood vessels are
involved, and all of them are more common in people who smoke.

A fatal disease

Blood clots in the heart and brain are the most common causes of sudden death.

• Coronary thrombosis: a blood clot in the arteries supplying the heart, which can
lead to a heart attack. Around 30 per cent are caused by smoking.
 • Cerebral thrombosis: the vessels to the brain can become blocked, which can lead
to collapse, stroke and paralysis.
• If the kidney arteries are affected, then high blood pressure or kidney failure
results.
• Blockage to the vascular supply to the legs may lead to gangrene and
amputation.

Smokers tend to develop coronary thrombosis 10 years earlier than non-smokers, and
make up 9 out of 10 heart bypass patients.

Cancer

Smokers are more likely to get cancer than non-smokers. This is particularly true of lung
cancer, throat cancer and mouth cancer, which hardly ever affect non-smokers.

The link between smoking and lung cancer is clear.

• Ninety percent of lung cancer cases are due to smoking.

• If no-one smoked, lung cancer would be a rare diagnosis - only 0.5 per cent of
people who've never touched a cigarette develop lung cancer.
• One in ten moderate smokers and almost one in five heavy smokers (more than 15
cigarettes a day) will die of lung cancer.

The more cigarettes you smoke in a day, and the longer you've smoked, the higher your
risk of lung cancer. Similarly, the risk rises the deeper you inhale and the earlier in life
you started smoking.

For ex-smokers, it takes approximately 15 years before the risk of lung cancer drops to
the same as that of a non-smoker.

If you smoke, the risk of contracting mouth cancer is four times higher than for a non-
smoker. Cancer can start in many areas of the mouth, with the most common being on or
underneath the tongue, or on the lips.

Other types of cancer that are more common in smokers are:

• bladder cancer
• cancer of the oesophagus
• cancer of the kidneys
• cancer of the pancreas
• cervical cancer

COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a collective term for a group of

conditions that block airflow and make breathing more difficult, such as:
Term watch

Chronic means long term, not severe.

• emphysema - breathlessness caused by damage to the air sacs (alveoli)

• chronic bronchitis - coughing with a lot of mucus that continues for at least three
months.

Smoking is the most common cause of COPD and is responsible for 80 per cent of cases.

It's estimated that 94 per cent of 20-a-day smokers have some emphysema when the
lungs are examined after death, while more than 90 per cent of non-smokers have little or
none.

COPD typically starts between the ages of 35 and 45 when lung function starts to decline
anyway.

Quitting can help

Lung damage from COPD is permanent, but giving up smoking at any stage reduces the
rate of decline in lung capacity.

In smokers, the rate of decline in lung function can be three times the usual rate. As lung
function declines, breathlessness begins.

As the condition progresses, severe breathing problems can require hospital care. The
final stage is death from slow and progressive breathlessness.

Other risks caused by smoking

Did you know?

A single cigarette can reduce the blood supply to your skin for over an hour.

• Smoking raises blood pressure, which can cause hypertension (high blood
pressure) - a risk factor for heart attacks and stroke.
• Couples who smoke are more likely to have fertility problems than couples who
are non-smokers.
• Smoking worsens asthma and counteracts asthma medication by worsening the
inflammation of the airways that the medicine tries to ease.
• The blood vessels in the eye are sensitive and can be easily damaged by smoke,
causing a bloodshot appearance and itchiness.
• Heavy smokers are twice as likely to get macular degeneration, resulting in the
gradual loss of eyesight.
• Smokers run an increased risk of cataracts.
• Smokers take 25 per cent more sick days year than non-smokers.
 • Smoking stains your teeth and gums.
• Smoking increases your risk of periodontal disease, which causes swollen gums,
bad breath and teeth to fall out.
• Smoking causes an acid taste in the mouth and contributes to the development of
ulcers.
• Smoking also affects your looks: smokers have paler skin and more wrinkles.
This is because smoking reduces the blood supply to the skin and lowers levels of
vitamin A.

Smoking and impotence

For men in their 30s and 40s, smoking increases the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) by
about 50 per cent.

Did you know?

The British Medical Association estimates that up to 120,000 men have ED because of
smoking.

Erection can't occur unless blood can flow freely into the penis, so these blood vessels
have to be in good condition.

Smoking can damage the blood vessels and cause them to degenerate: nicotine narrows
the arteries that lead to the penis, reducing blood flow and the pressure of blood in the
penis.

This narrowing effect increases over time, so if you haven't got problems now, things
could change later.

Erection problems in smokers may be an early warning signal that cigarettes are already
damaging other areas of the body - such as the blood vessels that supply the heart.