Topics

Intro
Cigarette Smoke
Nicotine
Carbon Monoxide
Other Substances
Smoke and Bone
Bone Healing
Wound Healing
Osteonecrosis
Lower Back Pain
Arthritis
Dupuytrens
RSD (CRPS)
Summary
Bibliography

Cigarette Smoke

As a cigarette burns, both tobacco and paper are vaporized, resulting in the emission of more than 4,000 compounds.44 The substances are actively inhaled by the smoker in the form of mainstream smoke, but are also passively inhaled by the nonsmoker in the form of side-stream smoke, as it is emitted from the burning tip. Side-stream smoke is chemically different from mainstream smoke. Since smoke knows no boundary, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is unwittingly consumed by smokers and nonsmokers alike.

The active ingredients of cigarette smoke include nicotine, the addictive substance, and unfortunately two prominent gases: carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, among others. Smoke also contains particles of tar and other irritants which are also believed to be carcinogenic.66

As each cigarette is smoked, approximately 2 to 3 milligrams of nicotine and 20 to 30 milliliters of carbon monoxide are inhaled by the smoker.95 These substances affect every tissue in the human body. The cardiovascular effects of nicotine and carbon monoxide have been studied extensively, and these same substances are believed to affect the musculoskeletal system by the same mechanisms.