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Smoking Causes Cancer!

Lowell Cancer Awareness (LCA)

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How Smoking Causes Cancer

Smoking can damage the columnar cells, which flatten and become squamous cells, and the cilia is destroyed
Basal cells multiply rapidly to replace the damaged cells, and some of these cells=cancerous
Cancer cells multiply, replace healthy cells, and may break through basement membrane

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How Smoking Damages The Lungs

Smoking can cause COPD which blocks airflow
Bronchioles and Alveoli in the lungs are irritated by smoke

Causes damage to the linings of the lungs

Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are forms of COPD

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How Smoking Damages The Lungs

Emphysema - causes alveoli to weaken

Lung tissue is destroyed making it hard to get oxygen to the body

Chronic Bronchitis - causes lining of bronchial tubes to swell

Less air can travel to and from lungs
Inflammation causes buildup in lungs

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Why Do People Start Smoking?

Peer Pressure

Their parents smoke

Sign of independence

Rebel against their parents

Lured by marketing

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Nicotine

Stimulant

Effect Varies

Can increase alertness or calm people down
Immediate sense of relaxation

Releases dopamine

Stimulates angiogenesis

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Why is it Hard to Quit Smoking?

In 1988, the US Surgeon General reported nicotine as addictive as cocaine or heroin

Nicotine releases dopamine which is pleasurable
You become reliant on nicotine for dopamine
Stopping smoking causes a dopamine deficiency, which can make you feel depressed or anxious

Nicotine patches, gum, and smoking-withdrawal medicine can help people quit

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What is vaping?

The inhaling of aerosol (Nicotine/THC)

Has many flavors, which attracts kids

Invented in 2003, popularized in 2007
2016 = Regulated by the FDA
New = don’t know the harmful effects (Vitamin E Acetate)
Contains about 80 chemicals (Smoking = 5000+)

Has killed less people than regular cigarettes

Has been considered an epidemic by medical professionals

Fun Fact:

One JUUL pod has as much nicotine as 20 cigarettes

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Effects and Complications

Vaping can cause:

Slow brain development in teens can affect memory, concentration, learning, self-control, attention, and mood
Lung damage and death (60 reported)
Addiction and trying out other drugs
Second-hand smoke
Increased risk for cancer and heart disease

Long term complications:

Still being studied

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Others Diseases from Smoking

Coronary Heart Disease
Stroke & Heart Attack
Higher Blood Pressure

Cardiovascular/Heart Diseases

Wherever the chemicals spread, cancer is possible
Contributes to 33% of cancer deaths

Other Cancers

Pregnancy and Male sperm issues
Bones & Teeth & Eyes & Immune function
Diabetes & Rheumatoid arthritis

Birth and Organ Health Risks

Kills more than HIV, drugs, alcohol, vehicle accidents, and firearms

X_x Death X_x

Smoking is bad for the heart since chemicals can cause plaque to build up in arteries cutting off or limiting supply of oxygen-rich blood to your body. The chemicals cause a variety of diseases that are related to the buildup of plaque: Coronary Heart Disease, Atherosclerosis, Ischemic heart disease, or PAD (Peripheral artery disease). This can in turn, cause other conditions: Heart diseases, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, arrhythmias, and the sort. Smoking may also cause cardiovascular diseases since your blood flow is being restricted.

Lung Cancer isn’t the only cancer that can be caused by the chemicals from smoking. Smoking harms cells wherever the chemicals spread, and can therefore cause cancer in all parts of your body. This is part of the reason smoking is so dangerous. Smoking will also increase chance of death in cancer patients and survivors, contributing to ⅓ of all cancer deaths in the USA.

Smoking makes becoming pregnant much more difficult for a woman and can reduce fertility in male sperm. Smoking can also cause issues after becoming pregnant. In males, smoking increases risk for sperm to cause birth defects or miscarriage. In women: Preterm(early delivery), low birth weight, SIDS (Sudden birth death syndrome/Crib Death), and others. Smoking affects all your cells, and also poses a risk to bone health, especially when older, increasing risk for broken bones; teeth/gum health, increasing risk of losing teeth (some who smoke, you can see their teeth don’t look very healthy); Cataracts (clouding in the eyes) and AMD (Age-related macular degeneration - damaging the center of the retina). Smoking also increases chance and severity of type 2 diabetes (+30-40% chance), causes inflammation and decreased immune function, and causes rheumatoid arthritis.

Smoking kills 480,000 annually in the USA(20% of deaths FDA, NIH. CDC). It causes 90% of lung cancer deaths and 80% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) deaths, a common lung disease causing obstruction of airflow to the lungs.

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Benefits of Quitting Smoking

A few days

Normal carbon monoxide levels

1-12 months

Coughing & Shortness of breath decreases

Risk of heart attack drops

1-2 years

Circulation & Lung function improves

2 weeks-

3 months

5-10 years

Risk of lung, bladder, esophagus, kidney cancer decreases

Heart rate & Blood pressure drop

20 minutes

15 years

Risk of heart attack close to non-smoker

infographic template from slidesgo

a timeline of the what happens to the body at varying times after someone stops smoking
twenty minutes after someone stops smoking, their heart rate and blood pressure decreases to normal levels
a few days after someone starts smoking, carbon monoxide levels return to normal

odorless, colorless, poisonous gas
enters lungs through smoking, replaces oxygen in red blood cells

after a few more months, cilia function returns to normal

better handle mucus in lungs

1-2 years, risk of heart attack drops
after 5-10 years, risk of … cancer decreases, with the risk of lung cancer half of someone that still smokes, along with stroke risk
after 15 years, risk of coronary heart cancers lowers to about the same level as someone that doesn’t smoke

coronary heart disease is the clogging of the arteries of the heart

https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/benefits-of-quitting-smoking-over-time.html

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Thank you!

NEXT MEETING: 2/26/21

insta:@lowellcancerawareness

email:lowellacsclub@gmail.com