We all know that cigarettes damage the person who smokes, and through second hand smoke, damages the people around them. We have heard of the many different diseases and cancer cases that are said to be caused by cigarettes. But not many people really understand exactly how does smoking hurt your lungs. Your lungs are extremely delicate and complicated organs that, when damaged by smoking, can cause a disastrous effect throughout the body.

It may or may not shock you to find out that cigarettes contain thousands of chemical agents and over 60 substances that are known to cause cancer. One of these chemicals is called hydrogen cyanide and it has a direct and powerful effect on the lungs.

To understand what this chemical does, you need to understand what cilia are. Cilia are the tiny hair like follicles in your lungs that help clean the lungs by moving foreign substances out. In a healthy person when something that doesn’t belong in the lungs appears, the cilia get to work to move it out. These little guys are what make you cough when you have mucus in your lungs or when a beverage accidentally ‘goes down the wrong pipe.’

Hydrogen cyanide damages the cilia causing them to reduce in number and become paralyzed. This allows other harmful chemicals to collect in the lungs and this stops oxygen from getting into the bloodstream properly.

There are many more ways that smoking damages your lungs, but this is one of the most destructive things that will happen when you subject your lungs to cigarettes. Knowledge is power and understanding the answer to 'How does smoking hurt your lungs?' will make a huge difference in your life.