Smoking can damage the walls of the alveoli which will reduce the surface area of the lungs. This will reduce the surface area for gas exchange and lead to diseases such as emphysema.
Cilia (the hairs that line the trachea and lungs) catch dust and bacteria before they reach the lungs. However, they can be damaged by the tar in cigarettes, which leads to an increased possibility of chest infections (as lots of dust and bacteria can enter).
As well as damaging cilia, tar irritates bronchi and bronchioles. This encourages mucus to be produced which can not be cleared if the cilia is damaged. This leads to smokers cough and chromic bronchitis.
Carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry by binding with Haemoglobin. To ensure enough oxygen gets to the cells in your body, the heart rate must increase - this can lead to an increase in blood pressure, which will damage artery walls, this makes blood clots much more likely, increasing the chance of coronary heart disease.
Coronary heart disease is caused by a blockage of the coronary arteries that supply heart muscle with blood. If you have coronary heart disease, glucose and oxygen is not transported to the heart muscle (as there is a blockage), therefore the heart can't keep contracting (as it has no glucose/oxygen, so no energy). This will lead to heart attack.
Tobacco smoke contains carcinogens - these are chemicals that can lead to cancer.
i a glad i could almost manage this answer myself. very helpful answers for students
ReplyDelete