Hamsters impacted by cigarette smoke

Hamsters exposed to cigarette smoke are significantly less likely to conceive, according to a recenty study from the University of California at Riverside. The researchers found that he microscopic hairs, or cilia, inside the oviduct, which transport eggs, cannot move it to where fertilization occurs.

When the upper region of the hamster oviduct alone was exposed to six types of cigarette smoke, eggs were 50 to 90 percent more likely to stick to the oviduct than was the case in control animals that were not exposed.

The concern, of course, isn't about infertile rodent couples. The study shows that cigarette smoke impacts a variety of organs, which has greater implications for humans.