Latest On Smoking Risk: Quick Genetic Damage Within Minutes

Here's the latest on the dangers of cigarette smoking.

In a peer-reviewed study which appeared in the Chemical Research in Toxicology Journal, US scientists disclosed that DNA damage occurs almost immediately with the first few cigarette puffs. The surprisingly fast effect was likened to directly injecting the injurious substance into the bloodstream.


The study was the first to track through the human blood, the pollutant phenanthrene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, that is found in cigarette smoke.

The researchers found that phenanthrene formed a toxic substance, diol epoxide, which was shown to react readily with DNA, causing mutations that can lead to cancer. And it was detected that the smokers who were subjects of the study, develop a maximum level of this toxic substance just within 15 - 30 minutes after finishing smoking.

The National Cancer Institute funded study examined the effects of inhaling cigarette smoke without the interference of outside factors like environmental pollutants and poor diet. [read: Smoking Health Risks Shared By Non-Smokers]

Oh boy! That's how fast cigarette smoking can inflict genetic damage on our body. May this serve as a stern warning to those who intend to embrace the smoking vice, and those who have no intention of kicking the habit.