Carbon monoxide and Passive Smoking

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In summary, the rate of smoking is not actually increasing, and lung cancer diagnoses may actually be going down as a result of the trend toward vaping.
  • #1
gianeshwar
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Hello Friends!
Smoker inhales Carbon monoxide and it is thousand times more reactive than Oxygen due to its triple bond formation with haemoglobin which is a protein molecule having iron at centre.
Normally in inhaling of oxygen haemoglobin becomes oxyhomoglobin(single bond) and carries fresh oxygen to cells where oxygen is detached and Haemoglobin comes back to take fresh oxygen again.
When one smokes haemoglobin makes carboxy haemoglobin ( triple bond) .In this case carbon monoxide does not detach from haemoglobin.So consequently excess carboxyhomoglobin accumulates.
Is some carbon monoxide left without getting attached to haemoglobin and hence more harmful to cells.

In the exhaled gas of a smoker what is there to do more harm to passive smokers.

Please refine the above sequence of logic.
I am not clear about the process.
 
Biology news on Phys.org
  • #3
Thanks!
Link does not provide enough information.
 
  • #4
Sorry jedishrfu! Link was not opening earlier.Now it is opening and seems to contain excellent information. Thanks!
 
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  • #5
When normal oxygen is inhaled most of it is attached to haemoglobin and a reversible equilibrium is set up so that oxygen can be detached and given to cells of body.
When cigarette smoke is inhaled by a smoker,carbon monoxide gets attached to haemoglobin and an irreversible equilibrium is set up.
Adding the above argument now,how technically speaking passive smoking is harmful.

Exhaled gas by smoker in comparison to gas inhaled by smoker himself.Which is more harmful and why?

What exactly are the contents of exhaled gas .I think they are only unreacted carbon monoxide as oxyhomoglobin cannot come out as gas
 
  • #6
When a history is done on cardiology patients, parental smoking is considered as if the patient smoked from birth to age 18. Even if the patient never smoked at all. Why?

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-secondhand-smoke-affects-brain
or
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4441979/

So, please forget your carbon monoxide argument, it is not the primary issue. Smoking is actually a public health issue. Which is why many places in the US have banned smoking in public buildings and some kinds of businesses.
 
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  • #7
Smoking is the major cause of Lung cancer these days. Day by day it is increasing.
 
  • #8
Albertstanley said:
Smoking is the major cause of Lung cancer these days. Day by day it is increasing.
Welcome to the PF. :smile:

We require that claims like yours be backed up by links to the scientific research that supports your claims. See the post above yours by @jim mcnamara that included very good quality links. Please post your links that support what you are saying in your reply.

I'm not sure that the rate of smoking is actually increasing (depending on the region of the world that you are talking about), and with the trends toward vaping, the rate of lung cancer diagnoses may actually be going down. (But I haven't searched for links about that -- I'll wait to click into the links that you will now provide) Thanks.
 
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  • #9
berkeman said:
Welcome to the PF. :smile:

We require that claims like yours be backed up by links to the scientific research that supports your claims. See the post above yours by @jim mcnamara that included very good quality links. Please post your links that support what you are saying in your reply.

I'm not sure that the rate of smoking is actually increasing (depending on the region of the world that you are talking about), and with the trends toward vaping, the rate of lung cancer diagnoses may actually be going down. (But I haven't searched for links about that -- I'll wait to click into the links that you will now provide) Thanks.
I can't attach link because of forum rules.
 
  • #10
Albertstanley said:
I can't attach link because of forum rules.
What do you mean? You can't attach a copyrighted paper, but you can post a link to a journal article.
 
  • #11
Albertstanley said:
I can't attach link because of forum rules.
That seems strange, but maybe there is some change for the minimum number of posts before you can post a link or something. If so, send me a message with the link and I will paste it into your post for you. Click on my Avatar and "Start a Conversation" to send me a message. Thanks.
 
  • #12
Albertstanley said:
Smoking is the major cause of Lung cancer these days. Day by day it is increasing.
berkeman said:
I'm not sure that the rate of smoking is actually increasing (depending on the region of the world that you are talking about), and with the trends toward vaping, the rate of lung cancer diagnoses may actually be going down.
I was curious, so I'll butt-in here with what I found:

1*vRJNqJRdCrSPJQk6g5ECZQ.png?zoom=1.png
 
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  • #13
gianeshwar said:
carbon monoxide gets attached to haemoglobin and an irreversible equilibrium is set up.
It’s not irreversible; it’s just much slower than oxygen to reverse the binding. In chemical terms, the equilibrium constant for CO to bind to the Fe center in hemoglobin is about 300 times larger than the analogous equilibrium constant for oxygen—wiki gives it as 210 times larger:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carboxyhemoglobin
 
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  • #14
  • #15
Last edited:
  • #16
gianeshwar said:
When normal oxygen is inhaled most of it is attached to haemoglobin and a reversible equilibrium is set up so that oxygen can be detached and given to cells of body.
When cigarette smoke is inhaled by a smoker,carbon monoxide gets attached to haemoglobin and an irreversible equilibrium is set up.
Adding the above argument now,how technically speaking passive smoking is harmful.

Exhaled gas by smoker in comparison to gas inhaled by smoker himself.Which is more harmful and why?

What exactly are the contents of exhaled gas .I think they are only unreacted carbon monoxide as oxyhomoglobin cannot come out as gas
I thought that there was some chemical reaction going on between the change of a burning cigarette smoke colour and exhaled, blue to white. Apparently it's just particle size, small to larger with the exhaled smoke scattering light more equally
 

1. What is carbon monoxide and how does it affect the human body?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced from the incomplete burning of various fuels. It enters the body through the lungs and binds to hemoglobin in the blood, reducing the amount of oxygen that can be carried to vital organs. This can lead to symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and nausea, and can be fatal in high concentrations.

2. How does passive smoking contribute to carbon monoxide exposure?

Passive smoking, also known as secondhand smoke, occurs when a non-smoker inhales the smoke from a nearby smoker. The smoke contains high levels of carbon monoxide, which can be inhaled by the non-smoker and lead to the same health effects as direct smoking. In fact, passive smoking has been linked to increased levels of carbon monoxide in the blood.

3. Are there any long-term effects of carbon monoxide exposure from passive smoking?

Yes, there can be long-term effects of carbon monoxide exposure from passive smoking. Repeated exposure to carbon monoxide can lead to chronic health problems such as heart disease, respiratory issues, and neurological damage. Children, pregnant women, and individuals with pre-existing health conditions are particularly vulnerable to these effects.

4. Can carbon monoxide detectors detect levels of exposure from passive smoking?

No, carbon monoxide detectors are not designed to detect low levels of exposure from passive smoking. These detectors are typically set to alarm at levels that can be harmful after several hours of exposure, while passive smoking can lead to lower but still harmful levels of carbon monoxide in a shorter amount of time. Therefore, it is important to avoid exposure to secondhand smoke altogether.

5. How can we protect ourselves from the effects of passive smoking and carbon monoxide exposure?

The best way to protect ourselves from the harmful effects of passive smoking and carbon monoxide exposure is to avoid situations where we are exposed to secondhand smoke. This can include asking smokers to refrain from smoking in our presence, avoiding places where smoking is allowed, and advocating for smoke-free environments. It is also important to have carbon monoxide detectors installed in our homes and to have them regularly checked and maintained.

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