The number one preventable cause of illness and death in the U.S. is the use of tobacco, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, pipes and secondhand smoke cause 443,000 deaths per year. In 2009, 46 million adults smoked cigarettes and countless others used other forms of tobacco despite clear evidence of the risks for many deadly diseases and chronic disability. Health problems caused by smoking cost more than $96 billion per year. The American Cancer Society (ACS) reports tobacco use kills more people than automobile accidents, suicide, AIDS, murder, and alcohol and illegal drugs combined. Nearly every organ in the body is harmed by tobacco use. A smoker's life is shortened by an average of 14 years, and smokeless tobacco users also face life-shortening risks.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer as the top cause of cancer deaths in women, reports the ACS, and remains the leading cancer killer of men. Lung cancer is very difficult to treat, and often shows no signs or symptoms until it has spread to other organs.
Other Cancers
Tobacco use causes one-third of all cancer deaths, explains the ACS. In addition to lung cancer, tobacco causes cancers of the esophagus, mouth, tongue, pancreas, kidneys, uterus, cervix, bladder, throat and stomach. Smokeless tobacco products contain an average of 30 cancer-causing chemicals, and cigarettes contain an average of 60.
Heart and Circulatory Disease
The American Heart Association states that tobacco use is a major cause of heart attacks. It also causes high blood pressure, blood clots, peripheral vascular disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm, a weakening of a large blood vessel in the abdomen that can rupture. It is a significant risk factor for stroke, leading to possible death or severe disability. It causes sexual impotence, also called erectile dysfunction, in men. All of these problems result from damage to blood vessels.
Other Lung Diseases
Lung cancer is not the only respiratory disease caused by smoking. Smoking damages the airways and the small air sacks in the lungs called alveoli, according to the CDC. This results in chronic coughing and wheezing and worsening of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Other Diseases
Other problems caused by tobacco include infertility, premature birth, stillbirth, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), brittle bones resulting in fractures, cavities, tooth loss, gum disease, cataracts and macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness.
References
- American Cancer Society: Smokeless Tobacco and How to Quit
- MayoClinic.com: Chewing tobacco: Not a safe alternative to cigarettes
- American Cancer Society: Cigarette Smoking
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Tobacco Use: Targeting the Nation’s Leading Killer
- American Cancer Society: Women and Smoking
