Pulmonary Effects of Cigarette Smoking

Abstract

Smoking is currently the main cause of preventable illnesses and deaths in the United States. The chemicals in cigarette smoke can damage nearly every organ in the body, though the lungs are at the greatest risk. Smoking can both cause pulmonary diseases as well as exacerbate existing conditions. This paper will describe various pulmonary effects of smoking. It will include the mechanisms which cause lung cancer, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis, as well as those which worsen asthma and COVID-19. It will further discuss the pulmonary effects of secondhand smoking, and the potential hazardous effects of e-cigarette use will be projected. Halachot pertaining to the permissibility of smoking will be studied as well, particularly with regards to the associated health concerns.