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Even a little cigarette smoke seems to damage airway cells for everyone, even those without Alpha-1
HealthDay News
A drag from a cigarette now and then can’t hurt, right?
Wrong, according to a new study that finds even low levels of smoke exposure can cause irreparable damage to cells essential to breathing.
The damage occurred among “casual” smokers and even after exposure to secondhand smoke. The initial damage, while not usually severe, can be cumulative and prolonged exposure to tobacco smoke could lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and even lung cancer, the researchers reported.
“It has been known for a long time that secondhand smoke or smoking occasionally can be risky for your health,” said study author Ronald Crystal, MD, chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell, in New York City.
Just how much a little exposure might damage airway cells hasn’t been clear, however.
“We found that if we could detect nicotine in the urine we could also detect changes in the genes in the cells lining the airways,” said Crystal, who is also chair of the department of genetic medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.
