Answer:
cigarettes increase carbon monoxide concentration in the blood and cause irreversible damage to the lungs, the main organ involved in oxygen uptake
Explanation:
Cigarettes contain many harmful chemical substances capable of damaging the airways and small air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs. The main function of the lungs is to take oxygen into the body. During aerobic cellular respiration, oxygen (O2) reacts with glucose to produce ATP, the energy currency of the cell, in a metabolic process that releases carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) as waste products. Moreover, cigarettes are also known to increase carbon monoxide levels in the bloodstream. This molecule (carbon monoxide) binds to hemoglobin and myoglobin in the blood, competing with oxygen to be correctly delivered into tissues, thereby producing hypoxia and decreasing cellular respiration rate.