The Thin End

We know smoking is bad for health. We have known this since the 1950s when the link with lung cancer was firmly established.  Yes, it was back in the 1950s - 1950 to be precise -    five epidemiological studies were published, including papers by Ernst Wynder and Evarts Graham in the USA and Richard Doll and A Bradford Hill in England. All confirmed the growing suspicion, that smokers of cigarettes were far more likely to contract lung cancer than non-smokers.  The tobacco industry knew its product was toxic, yet it went on promoting it with adverts making it chic.  Smoking was and remains a major factor in the deaths of millions of people each year.  That is the shocking truth.  But smoking impacts through more than cardiovascular health and cancer.  It can make you deaf.  Yes, did you hear me? Deaf.  That is the upshot of a recent study on a major cohort of women in the United States.  There is little mystery surrounding the adver...

E-cigarettes have effects similar to those seen in regular smokers and patients with chronic lung disease.  This is the conclusion of authors of a new report published online in the journal Thorax . E-cigarette vapour boosts the production of inflammatory chemicals and disables key protective cells in the lung that keep the air spaces clear of potentially harmful particles. Impaired lung defences The vapour impairs the activity of vital protective cells in the tiny air sacs of the lung,  the alveolar (air sac) macrophages. These macrophages are the 'big eaters',  or the scavengers,  of the respiratory tract. They are cells of the immune system whose role is to engulf debris, removing dust particles, bacteria, and allergens that get through the mechanical defences of the respiratory tract.  They are a crucial line of defence. Without them, our respiratory systems would become choked with detritus and pathogens, and our lungs would be more readily infecte...

The causal link between lung cancer and tobacco smoking has long been established. It was in the 1950s that the link was first clearly demonstrated. Since then the addictive nature of nicotine has also been shown and it is one reason why it is so difficult for smokers to stop. Despite this knowledge it took a long time for health authorities and governments to act effectively on smoking as a killer. Today, smoking is recognised as the largest single factor in preventative illness. In the UK an estimated 102,000 people die each year from smoking-related diseases including cancers . Most people start smoking as teenagers. I certainly recall my first tentative 'drags' on a cigarette when I was at school. In those days (oh dear such a long time ago!) we were able to buy single Woodbines at the local tobacconists. Fortunately I managed to stop smoking in my early twenties; others were not so fortunate. Teenage smoking remains a problem. Official statistics suggest that at ...