International E-Magazine on adolescent health Circulatory and Respiratory System | Page 3

CARCINOGENS FOUND IN
CIGARETTE SMOKE
A carcinogen is substance that causes a series of genetic alterations to occur that lead to the
formation of cancerous growths. The carcinogens affect the respiratory and circulatory system
causing different types of disorders and effects.

Respiratory System

Some carcinogens are Acetone, Acetic Acid,
Arsenic Cadmium, Carbon Monoxide,
Methanol, and Nicotine. With a smoke of a
cigarette more than 4,000 chemicals are released
in almost every system of your body.
Nicotine is one of many chemicals that work against your whole body. When chemicals enter
the mouth and trachea, they irritate these organs and leave low chemical burns as they travel
down. Toxins enter directly into the lungs. These chemicals immediately attack anything that
comes into contact with them. The alveoli, which also burned and filled with scars, lose the
ability to take the air and move through the body. The lung looks like it had been chemically
burned, and it is what causes lung cancer.

Circulatory System

Diseases of the circulatory system are the leading cause of
death and are clearly favored by the consumption of
cigarettes. The effect of Nicotine appears related to its
activity in the brain, causing the release of adrenaline and
noradrenaline by increasing its concentration in the blood.
The cigarette produces countless effects on the blood and
blood system in general. Many of these changes are caused
by increased activity of the nervous system.

The carcinogens affect in a very high level, someone who
inhales these substances is at high risk of developing a range
of potentially lethal diseases. It causes cancer in different
parts of the body, lung disease, poor blood circulation in feet
and hands.

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