Teenagers, adults and parents who smoke and keep smoking may face a lifetime of health problems that may result with one or more them contracting a fatal disease. Smoking cigarettes is a major cause of lung cancer and other serious illnesses. Some of these can be passed on to nonsmokers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that even if smokers never light up around their families, nicotine and other carcinogens in cigarettes can be brought home on hair and clothing.
Reproductive Difficulties
Individuals who wish to have families may find conception more difficult if they or their spouses are tobacco users. The 2004 U.S. Surgeon General's report on the effects of smoking suggest that erectile dysfunction may has links to smoking cigarettes. Women are at a proven risk for infertility, with research finding that smokers have more difficulty conceiving children. In addition, the report mentioned that women who smoke during pregnancy have a higher rate of premature delivery, low birth-weight babies and stillbirths. Their babies also test positive for reduced lung function.
Cancer
Long-term smokers may develop cancers of the reproductive organs as well, creating health problems that prevent them from starting a family. The surgeon general directly links smoking cigarettes with uterus and cervix cancers. There may be a link with prostate and breast cancers, pending further research.
Parents in existing families who contract fatal lung cancer may inflict the emotional and economic effects of their premature deaths on their survivors. The surgeon general estimates that smokers' lives are cut short by an average of 13.8 years. Additional cancers related to tobacco use include leukemia and cancers of the mouth, lip, tongue, larynx, throat, esophagus, stomach pancreas, kidney and bladder.
Other Serious Illnesses
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC note additional illnesses that may create fatal health problems for smokers and their families. Smoking cigarettes can cause incurable emphysema and coronary heart disease. Conditions related to tobacco use that may cause death include chronic bronchitis, heart attack, stroke and aneurysm.
Secondhand Smoke
The CDC also reports that secondhand smoke can cause heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking family members. It can increase the chances of children developing asthma. Nicotine particulate can contaminate household objects that babies and children touch, causing them to absorb the carcinogen through their skin.
The health problems aren't limited to adults and children. According to Ira Dreyfuss with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, babies in the womb suffer the same risks from secondhand smoke exposure, even if their mothers are not tobacco users.
References
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Secondhand Smoke and Children
- U.S. Surgeon General: List of Diseases Caused by Smoking
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Smoking and Reproductive Health
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Smoking Harm
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Secondhand Smoke Danger
