Smoking causes DNA damage in minutes

Cigarette smoke causes genetic damage within minutes -- not years -- after inhalation into the lungs, U.S. researchers say....

The scientists added a labeled PAH -- phenanthrene -- to cigarettes and tracked it in 12 volunteers who smoked the cigarettes. They found phenanthrene quickly forms a toxic substance in the blood known to trash DNA, causing mutations that can cause cancer.

Read more: www.upi.com...

This study is kind of shocking for all the conspiracy theorists out there. Those that believe in this ruling elite that are trying to hold the population back from evolving. According to the above, smoking damages our junk DNA and mutates it into cancer? There are many that wonder why we have more non active DNA than active DNA. Maybe this is part of our own doing. Maybe it means we have poisoned ourselves over years and these ruling class develop products to assist shutting off our dormant DNA? Who knows but for all the smokers out there you should read the article.

Wow, this smoke I've been holding, getting ready to go out back and smoke suddenly seems less appetizing.

Then again, the majority of us will be dead in coming years anyways.... Heh.

reply to post by DeadStarState


Don't feel bad after posting this I went outside for a smoke myself. However, any further motivation to quit smoking is good and useful when the time comes to quit.

ATS Thread

Already a thread for this.

Oh...and Cigarettes are delicious.

reply to post by watchitburn


Well then close it ATS search function is broken. I put "smoking dna damage" and it came back with nothing.

What I hate is it is so addictive. I have tried quitting about 10 times and I just can't kick the habbit. With all of the government control in our lives - and how they are trying to enforce their rules upon us... you would have thought they would have made cigerettes illegal. Nope, here in Illinois - I spend almost $9 a pack.

And yes, I know the reason it is legal is because the government is feeding off of us addicts.
Well, I need to go out and smoke a cig (don't smoke in the house)

reply to post by ExPostFacto


Sorry, didn't mean to mess up your chi.

And I have no idea how to close a thread.

reply to post by kroms33


I've never had problems with quitting, in an addiction way so to speak. I can stop smoking and not fiend or have any kind of problems. Its the habit part for me. I feel uncomfortable if I'm in a bar drinking and don't have a smoke on me. Drinking anywhere for that matter. Or the moment I'm stressed or angry, a smoke is the first thing I go for.

I really wouldn't put much into it. Most of the population smoked in the past and there aren't any freaky half human half cigarette mutants walking around.

Our cells have many measures to fight against dna damage. The body does indeed regenerate itself from damage.

dna repair

Having a good diet is probably one of the biggest factors in regeneration. That would be my guesstimate.

I just think it's being exaggerated and sensationalized. Almost everything damages your DNA, it's a fact.

Household cleaning chemicals or garden chemicals, bathroom chemicals, medicine cabinet, now even many food items have questionable additives in them. Every car on the road, that is damaging you too.

Every volcano that erupts, the very nature all around you is loaded with toxins. Ever got into some poison ivy? Heck a pet dog can bite you.

Point is you can suffer damage from anywhere anytime.

What should we ban everything since it's dangerous? Well ban sky diving, base jumping, bicycles, and forks too.

Did you know that burning most commercially available candles is dangerous to your lungs?
Let's ban candles too.

I am not attacking you OP just attacking this recent campaign of fear mongering against smoking. I have reservations that it is just a ploy to further restrict citizens rights to choose what they put in their body.

reply to post by muzzleflash


I agree with you. Much of everything damages the DNA. Although, I do think the chemicals the cigarette companies put in tobacco increase the risks 100 fold. I personally would support a ban on chemical additives to tobacco products. It was stupid for the government to pass a law requiring more additives be placed in cigarettes to make those self extinguishing smokes at the same time telling everyone to quit.

Originally posted by watchitburn
reply to post by ExPostFacto

 

Sorry, didn't mean to mess up your chi.

And I have no idea how to close a thread.

No chi was messed up Sometimes intentions are lost in the wording when written in haste.

I would agree to a campaign that addressed and demanded that Tobacco Companies draw down and eventually put an end to the practice of putting loads of chemical additives into the product for suspicious reasons.

We don't need the government just market pressure/demand could do it, that I am sure even non smokers would agree too.

So why is the anti-smoking lobby attacking this from a knee-jerk response instead of picking small battles that can be won which all of us could agree too, smoker and non-smoker alike?

I just feel all of the anti-smoker folks are doomed to failure because they are being misled. By trying to ban smoking they set them selves up as extremists. But if we could just attack the small parts that are corrupt and surely making the problems far worse than they would be naturally; than we don't have to ban anything and at the same time we can force a company to change it's unfair practices.

That would be a win-win for both sides imo.

reply to post by DeadStarState


LUCKY YOU!

I seriously have probelms quitting. I go through bad bad bad withdrawals - irritated easily, hot flashes, sometimes it feels like my veins are on fire.... I have cut down though.... but I have been smoking for a long long time

I just don't like the person I become when I quit... mean and irritable.

And thats why more people should just smoke weed. cigarettes and cigars kill, even the nasty chewing stuff....but never a death from weed...interesting. go pot!

reply to post by zak89


Nothing would make me happier if I didn't have random drug tests to deal with. I look at pot the same way people view a beer at the end of a long work day. Sometimes you just wanna spark up and chill to calm and end a day.

Originally posted by kroms33
reply to post by DeadStarState

 

LUCKY YOU!

I seriously have probelms quitting. I go through bad bad bad withdrawals - irritated easily, hot flashes, sometimes it feels like my veins are on fire.... I have cut down though.... but I have been smoking for a long long time

I just don't like the person I become when I quit... mean and irritable.

edit on 1/17/2011 by kroms33 because: To add a "Y" in LUCKY...

Yes your veins feel like ants are crawling through them. From what I understand this is called blood flow. I usually get that sensation about 16 hours after quitting and it is nearly unbearable. Then the stomach cramps hit. Then the poops. After about 48 hours though, I am usually through withdraws with just lingering boredom. Apparently I have much more time in a day then I thought. This generally leads me to smoke again to fill the time.

musselflash made a great point about the anti-smoking campaign. As a smoker they should concentrate on removing all additives from cigarettes. Smokers should have a more healthy choice, even if smoking is unhealthy. Make all these big tobacco companies produce at least one non chemical based cigarette, I would support that.