Immediate effects of smoking on the breathing system.

• 1) Carbon monoxide from the smoke is taken into your blood instead of oxygen. Your cells get less oxygen for respiration as a result, so you are more likely to get breathless when you exercise. This is particularly damaging during pregnancy because a developing baby can be starved of oxygen.

• 2) The cilia in your trachea and bronchi are anaesthetised so they no longer move mucus and pathogens away from your lung so you are more likely to get infections of the breathing system. Long term you may also develop a 'smoker's cough' as your body tries to get rid of the mucus which builds up in the lungs.