Cigarettes and Germs
When you inhale on a cigarette you are pulling a toxic combination of roughly four thousand different chemicals into your body. That combination contains fifty known carcinogens, carbon monoxide, nicotine and some new studies indicate that it might also include all kinds of harmful germs too.
While the information is just being reviewed, assessed and further scrutinized, the initial results demonstrate that there are hundreds of types of bacteria, with some directly connected to respiratory issues such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) in almost all major brands of cigarettes.
The interesting thing about these germs is their durability. Many scientists believe that the heating process of smoking doesn’t necessarily destroy the potency of the germs simply because it is only the tip of the cigarette that is alight. This means that the germs could be carried into the lungs via the smoke inhalation process.
It is already known that smokers tend to have a significantly higher level of bacteria in their respiratory tracts, and even higher rates of overall bacterial infections. What the studies are trying to determine is if these increased rates are directly related to germs in the cigarettes themselves, or if they are connected to the debilitating impact of smoking in general.
As well as problems in the respiratory tract and the lungs, scientists want to determine if the germs trigger disease in the mouth as well. Another interesting area of study in relation to the germs in the cigarettes is if the chronic inflammation caused by bacteria would also directly relate to the likelihood of various cancers developing in a smoker too.
One thing that must first be determined is the actual source of the different bacterium and germs found in cigarettes. Is it the tobacco? Is it part of the processing of cigarettes? Are they in the wrapping paper and filter process? Perhaps it is only the result of the packaging process? Whatever the source, scientists are working hard at identifying where in the “seed to pack” process the largest number of germs appears.
Until they figure out the actual level or risk between smoking and bacterial contamination it will be difficult to authoritatively point out which illnesses are tied to smoking and which to germs. Either way, this entire issue points out the necessity of refraining from smoking at all. Most people who successfully quit smoking will realize dramatic improvements in their overall health, and those who manage to remain smoke-free for a five year period tend to have the lung health of those who never smoked at all.
