Smoking causes chronic health conditions for you and the people closest to you. The New York Health Department reports that healthy lungs are pink, but smokers' lungs turn black with years of smoking. Smokers are more likely to have yellow teeth, catch a cold and be impotent. Those effects are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to disturbing facts related to smoking.
Health Conditions
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that smoking tobacco causes heart disease, stroke and chronic lung disease, along with cancer of the "lung, mouth, pharynx, esophagus and bladder." Cigar smokers have an increased risk of oral and laryngeal cancers as well. According to the CDC, smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease.
Death
The National Institutes of Health Division of Cancer Control and Population Science reports that over 400,000 deaths annually in the United States trace back to smoking-related illnesses. The CDC warns that cigarette smoking causes one in five deaths and smokers die 13 to 14 years sooner than nonsmokers. In fact, if pregnant women quit smoking, about 4,000 infant deaths could be avoided each year.
Children
Secondhand smoke comes from the lit end of the cigarette and the smoke you exhale. DCCPS reports secondhand smoke is associated with up to 300,000 cases of bronchitis and pneumonia annually among babies 18 months old and younger. Smoking around your child causes coughing, aggravates asthmatic conditions and an increased risk of middle ear problems.
Adolescents
The CDC reports that every day in the U.S. about 4,000 adolescents ages 12 to 17 try cigarettes for the first time. They represent the majority of all new smokers, and 83 percent choose to smoke the three most advertised cigarette brands. The longer adolescents smoke, the more likely they are to develop nicotine addiction. The CDC warns that a nicotine addiction has similarities to a heroin, cocaine and alcohol addiction.
House Fires
Smoking is the leading cause of fatal fires in the United States, explains the U.S. Fire Administration, making it responsible for one in four fire deaths. Most smoking fire fatalities occur early in the morning, with 77 percent of victims ages 40 and older. Because people sleep through the early morning hours, 40 percent of fatalities happen when victims are asleep.
Costs and Spending
The CDC provides statistics about the costs of smoking. It explains that $97 billion in lost productivity and $96 billion in health care expenditures add up to cost the United States $193 billion each year. In 2008, the U.S. government made $24.4 billion available to states to implement programs to prevent tobacco use, but they only spent 3 percent of this money.
References
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences: Facts About Smoking
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Morbidity and Mortality Related to Tobacco Use
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Tobacco Use and the Health of Young People
- U.S. Fire Association: Residential Smoking, Fire and Casualties
- New York Health Department: A Pack of FACTS to Help You Break the Habit
