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Smoking “causes hundreds of DNA changes”

bbc.com

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Re: Smoking “causes hundreds of DNA changes”

#81

Post by meric »

RyanZAG wrote: post #32
meric wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have already said some people have larger families than others and these people have differences than others thus contradicting your premise where there is no longer evolution in human genes.

I never said there is no evolution? I said there is no longer a link between positive and negative traits and the ability of someone to reproduce. Whether someone has positive or negative mutations is no longer a factor in their survival, and so there is no natural selection of positive traits. There is definitely no contradiction there. Genes will still evolve, but it will no longer be through a process of natural f…

> positive and negative traits and the ability of someone to reproduce.

What's "positive"?

> The actual environment is artificial though, as those families would not be able to survive on their own without support.

I apologise to those who are offended by my stereotyping - If anything, I'd expect it's some of these people who are most able to survive on their own in the scenario of nuclear apocalypse and all major cities destroyed.

In such a scenario people like software engineers on HN, may even have lack the traits for survival (inherited or learned) - many of us do not know how to fix our own cars or grow our own crops.

Re: Smoking “causes hundreds of DNA changes”

#82

Post by tudorw »

ommunist wrote: post #60

A significant amount of the shredded brown innards of most modern cigarettes is a paper product called "reconstituted tobacco" or "homogenized sheet tobacco," which is made from a pulp of mashed tobacco stems and other parts of the tobacco leaf that would otherwise go to waste. Manufacturers spray and impregnate reconstituted tobacco paper with nicotine and other substances lost during the process, along with as many…

https://www.sott.net/article/234667-Pestilence-the-Great-Pla...

Re: Smoking “causes hundreds of DNA changes”

#83

Post by 6502nerdface »

fithisux wrote: post #48

So, why do they sell cigarettes?

People vary in what gives them pleasure and in their valuation of the time/pleasure trade-off. Cigarettes are a tool for some people to move pleasure from the future to the present (i.e., shorter life/less future pleasure in exchange for more pleasure now); they adress intertemporal pleasure-flow needs for some, much as loans address intertemporal cashflow.

Re: Smoking “causes hundreds of DNA changes”

#84

Post by tudorw »

kabouseng wrote: post #62
ommunist wrote: post #60

A significant amount of the shredded brown innards of most modern cigarettes is a paper product called "reconstituted tobacco" or "homogenized sheet tobacco," which is made from a pulp of mashed tobacco stems and other parts of the tobacco leaf that would otherwise go to waste. Manufacturers spray and impregnate reconstituted tobacco paper with nicotine and other substances lost during the process, along with as many…

Downvoted because you provided zero evidence and pure conjecture arguing against a by now well established fact - smoking causes cancer.

smokers get cancer, tobacco contains carcinogens, however, studies rarely take enough account of the wide range of conditions that contribute to health, stress, nutrition, socio-environmental conditions, mental health, exercise, meditation and mindfulness, these are often left out, clearly they have an effect, it's not an easy task, I'm not an advocate of ingesting harmful substances, I am an advocate of interdisciplinary research that helps us understand the why and how humans are susceptible to what seems like 'wrong choices', or are they, see 'The Paris Problem', problem eh... don't forget the man in the dark street searching for his lost keys only under the light from a streetlamp..

Re: Smoking “causes hundreds of DNA changes”

#85

Post by nabla9 »

kawera wrote: post #70

I wonder if there were studies that analyzed the effect of smoking non-industrialized cigarettes. I smoke 2-4 cigarettes per day and make my own cigarettes from tobacco leaves that I dry/shred myself. The leaves in turn come from a few organically grown plants.

The quality of tobacco does not matter. Homegrown can be even more harmful.

The main reason tobacco is so dangerous is because you are inhaling smoke and carcinogens that are created in the burning. Burning organic or non-organic makes no difference. You are like firefighter in a burning house without a mask when you inhale.

http://www.livescience.com/7914-warning-homegrown-tobacco-de...

Re: Smoking “causes hundreds of DNA changes”

#86

Post by msimpson »

ommunist wrote: post #60

A significant amount of the shredded brown innards of most modern cigarettes is a paper product called "reconstituted tobacco" or "homogenized sheet tobacco," which is made from a pulp of mashed tobacco stems and other parts of the tobacco leaf that would otherwise go to waste. Manufacturers spray and impregnate reconstituted tobacco paper with nicotine and other substances lost during the process, along with as many…

I've heard this argument before. The claim that "clean" tobacco smoke is not carcinogenic and only the additives are to blame. Well, hate to burst your bubble, but when you burn tobacco--additives or not--you are creating hydrocarbons like benzene, bezopyrene, and butane. All of which are carcinogenic and will cause mutation in human cells upon contact.

You cannot remove these hydrocarbons from tobacco as they are only present during pyrolysis.

Further reading: https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Components-Tobacco-Smoke-Sec...

That book is authored by Alan Rodgman (bio below).

After joining R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.’s research department in 1954, Rodgman initiated the company’s research on cigarette smoke composition. He personally conducted and actively directed environmental tobacco smoke research until 1987.

Rodgman became director of research in 1976. During his career, he served on the editorial board of Tobacco Science, the Council for Tobacco Research, the Coresta Scientific Commission and several U.S. government tobacco-related committees.

He was a member of the Chemical Institute of Canada and the American Chemical Society for 60 years and a member of the New York Academy of Sciences for 40 years.

Rodgman published numerous scientific papers on tobacco smoke composition and served as a reviewer for tobacco-related manuscripts. In 2003 he was awarded the inaugural Tobacco Science Research Conference Lifetime Achievement Award for his tobacco-related research and activities. In late 2008 Rodgman co-authored The chemical components of tobacco and tobacco smoke, for which the authors jointly received the 2010 Coresta Award.

Re: Smoking “causes hundreds of DNA changes”

#87

Post by [deleted] »

Gatsky wrote: post #61
TelmoMenezes wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Smokers were already and for a long time aware of the risks. They choose to take them. What could they possibly claim? That a product known for causing lung cancer caused lung cancer?

That's a good point, I am not a lawyer so I can't really comment. But perhaps there is a material difference between saying you developed a disease that could have been caused by smoking (as lung cancer occurs in non-smokers), and saying you were definitely harmed by smoking. Other avenues could be: - Smoking is also associated with other cancers, such as esophageal cancer and bladder cancer. Generally the warnings d…

[deleted]

Re: Smoking “causes hundreds of DNA changes”

#88

Post by havetocharge »

delegate wrote: post #72
ommunist wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What kinds of cigarettes were you smoking exactly?

I started with Lucky Strike, then smoked Marlboro Lights for about 18 years, then the last two years or so I smoked organic rolling tobacco - Cross Road. I've stopped smoking 18 months ago, but even after 1.5 years, I still get the urge to smoke almost every day.

In my experience the urge went away completely after several years..

Re: Smoking “causes hundreds of DNA changes”

#89

Post by tpeo »

ommunist wrote: post #60

A significant amount of the shredded brown innards of most modern cigarettes is a paper product called "reconstituted tobacco" or "homogenized sheet tobacco," which is made from a pulp of mashed tobacco stems and other parts of the tobacco leaf that would otherwise go to waste. Manufacturers spray and impregnate reconstituted tobacco paper with nicotine and other substances lost during the process, along with as many…

Well, this largely explains the vague cardboard smell and taste of commercial tobacco.

Re: Smoking “causes hundreds of DNA changes”

#90

Post by jsingleton »

nthcolumn wrote: post #54
Gatsky wrote: post #27

This has some legal implications. You can now prove fairly conclusively that your lung cancer came from smoking. I wonder if it will lead to a new wave of tobacco litigation. I think even Fisher would be convinced [1]. [1] https://priceonomics.com/why-the-father-of-modern-statistics...

Hitting yourself repeatedly over the head with a hammer can give you a headache. Not sure DeWalt are worried from a litigious point of view. I doubt there is a smoker alive today who can reasonably claim to have been unaware of the risks when they started. Anal point - why the apostrophe? Should it be "Smoking becauses hundreds..."?

It's not an apostrophe, it's a single quote. The article title is:

> Smoking 'causes hundreds of DNA changes'

I'm guessing HN trimmed the closing quote to change it to:

> Smoking 'causes hundreds of DNA changes

It's now been changed to:

> Smoking “causes hundreds of DNA changes”

Those are weird quotes too, not the normal ". There are lots of different quote characters. :)

Pedants will probably like this magazine: http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/df/b7/74/dfb7741e5e84...

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