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Scottsdale – According to Discovery, new research shows those first few  puffs on a cigarette can, within minutes, cause genetic damage linked to cancer.

The researchers said the “effect is so fast that it’s equivalent to injecting the substance directly into the bloodstream,” in describing their findings.

The study involved a small number, using only 12 volunteer smokers. The scientists tracked pollutants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are carried in tobacco smoke. These are also found in coal-burning plants and in charred barbecue food.

The researchers followed one particular type of carcinogen — phenanthrene — which is found in cigarette smoke — through the blood. Accordingly,  this toxic substance is known to “trash DNA, causing mutations that can cause cancer,” the study said.

“The smokers developed maximum levels of the substance in a time frame that surprised even the researchers: just 15-30 minutes after the volunteers finished smoking,” the study said.

Lead scientist Stephen Hecht, said the study is unique because it examines the effects of inhaling cigarette smoke, without interference from other sources of harm such as pollution or a poor diet. The study is also the first on humans to track substances in tobacco which cause DNA damage.

“The results reported here should serve as a stark warning to those who are considering starting to smoke cigarettes,” Hecht said.

Lung cancer kills about 3,000 people around the world each day. Ninety percent of those deaths are attributable to cigarette smoking. The research was funded by the National Cancer Institute. The article appears in the peer-reviewed journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.

We tell all patients that smoking and plastic surgery do not mix! Now we know that smoking causes DNA damage, and quickly, which another unfortunate fact that does not help wound healing in cosmetic surgery.