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Smoking causes damage in minutes

A new study suggests the damage begins just moments after the first cigarette is smoked.

Smoking causes damage in minutes

Smoking damages the body in minutes rather than years. The long term impact of smoking, from heart disease to a range of cancers, is well known. But a new study suggests the damage begins just moments after the first cigarette is smoked.

Evidence indicates that harmful substances in tobacco smoke termed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, are one of the culprits in causing lung cancer. Until now, however, scientists had not detailed the specific way in which the PAHs in cigarette smoke cause DNA damage in humans.

The researchers looked at the level of PAH in 12 patients after smoking cigarettes labeled with a PAH called phenanthrene. They found that phenanthrene was modified by the body and turned into another chemical which damages DNA and has been linked with cancer. The research showed that this process only took between 15 and 30 minutes to take place, the effect being so fast that it's equivalent to injecting the substance directly into the bloodstream.

The study is the first to investigate human metabolism of a PAH specifically delivered by inhalation in cigarette smoke, without interference by other sources of exposure such as air pollution or the diet. It details the way certain substances in tobacco cause DNA damage linked to cancer and the results should serve as a stark warning to those who are considering starting to smoke cigarettes.
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