Smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. Tobacco contains hundreds of carcinogens, such as nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, and hundreds more, which can can make contact with the bronchi lining by simply breathing. Constant exposure of the bronchi lining to carcinogens can initiate the mutation of the DNA. Lung cancer caused by smoking is the single-greatest cause of death in most industrialized nations.
However, lung cancer was unknown or rare before the emergence of commercial smoking in the early 20th century.
Prior to the 20th century, lung cancer was not known. What was present are the severe symptoms of lung illnesses, such as pneumonia, breathing difficulties, tuberculosis, emphysema, etc.
Doctors and scientists knew that most of their patients who acquired these lung illnesses have lived in impoverished areas or have worked as miners, asbestos workers (particularly in China), and soldiers in recent battlefields (starting in the industrial revolution where gunpowder was widely-used in war).
Since then, they have suspected that their patients may have inhaled dangerous smoke or particles that are abundant from where they lived or worked. Autopsies revealed black lungs and massive tumors in the lungs of patients who have died from lung illnesses. At this point, doctors and scientists knew that living in impoverished areas and working in places with the risk of inhaling dangerous smoke and particles can cause the lung disease. Despite of the presence of the disease, the levels of patients who have contracted it are still quite low.
It was in the emergence of commercial smoking when doctors and scientists finally realized how dangerous it is to constantly inhale smoke and particles. The emergence of smoking increased the cases of lung illnesses tenfold. After several studies, they realized that smoking is a primary cause of the lung disease, which were later named as lung cancer.
Studies show that smokers and people working in coal, asbestos, and uranium mines are at risk of contracting lung cancer. Since then, doctors, scientists, and government have been trying to warn citizens. Unfortunately, there are more smokers and tobacco manufacturing companies existing today than ever before. Lung cancer is still killing a lot of people, while society is still beaten back by this threat.
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