Singers should not smoke, and they should try to avoid places where they are exposed to second-hand smoke. According to New York University Voice Center at New York University Medical Center/School of Medicine, smoking or inhaling second-hand smoke can chafe and remove the necessary moisture that lines the delicate tissue of your throat. Additionally, smoking may bring on acid reflux, lower lung capacity and is the foremost culprit behind vocal cord and lung cancers.
Expert Insight
Françoise P. Chagnon is the director of the Voice Lab at the Montreal General Hospital and he has much to say about how smoking affects the voice. He believes that committed singers are always looking for ways to soothe and care for their throats and that smoking is one habit that is considered lethal to anyone who wants to remain in the singing business. Some blues, rock and pop singers like the way a smoker's voice sounds, but they are not considering the risk to their throats, mouth and lungs from cancer.
Effects
Chagnon describes in meticulous detail what smoking does to your vocal cords. He claims it is not the nicotine that damages the vocal cords, but the tar and heat from the cigarette. Additionally, he says that singers who regularly perform in bars and clubs that allow smoking will suffer from the same throat problems as smokers, so they should try to get out during breaks to breathe in clean air.
Second-hand Smoke
Second-hand smoke, or passive smoking, has become a global concern. The Tobacco Control Strategy Planning, Companion Guide #1, "Building Public Awareness About Passive Smoking Hazards," was put out by the American Cancer Society, The International Union Against Cancer and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Its message is clear: Passive smoke inhalation or second-hand smoke is just as bad for the nonsmoker.
Warning
There are bulleted lists in the manual of all the toxins that are contained within one cigarette. Smoke from a cigarette has more than 4,000 chemical particles which include carbon monoxide, ammonia, dimethylnitrosamine, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, and acrolein. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has categorized second-hand tobacco smoke as a carcinogen similar to asbestos, arsenic, benzene, and radon gas.
A Bad Habit
Smoking is an insidious habit because even after you have quit, it takes months for inflamed lesions that you may have incurred, if you were a heavy smoker, to heal. Some singers resort to surgery and although surgery is a viable option, there is no assurance that your once beautiful voice will be restored, according to the online column, Ask the Throat Doctor.
