Smoking & Mortality
The National Institute of Health (NIH) says tobacco use is the most avoidable cause of death. Approximately 50 percent of smokers will lose their lives to smoking-related illnesses. According to the American Lung Association (ALA), more than 392,000 people die annually from diseases linked to the use of tobacco. In addition, 50,000 non-smokers die from repeatedly coming into contact with secondhand smoke. The American Cancer Society (ACS) says smoking harms virtually every organ in the human body and is directly associated with more than a dozen different cancers.
Cancer
The ACS says cigarette smoking is responsible for about one-third of all cancer deaths. Smoking increases the risk of cancers of the lung, larynx (voice box), throat, mouth, esophagus, stomach, kidney, bladder pancreas and cervix. Cigarette smoking causes 90 percent of lung cancer deaths. The ALA says 69 of the nearly 5,000 chemicals contained in cigarettes are known to be carcinogens.
Heart Disease and Other Ailments
Smoking greatly increases the likelihood of suffering from emphysema, chronic bronchitis, aneurysms (a balloon-like bulge in an artery), heart disease and stroke. Smoking can intensify asthma and pneumonia and cause poor circulation in the arms and legs. The use of tobacco is also linked with reduced fertility and a greater chance of miscarriage in women. Men who smoke may be more prone to erectile dysfunction or impotence.
Secondhand Smoke
The Surgeon General's report on secondhand smoke in 2006 stated that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. People who breathe in secondhand smoke can suffer a number of health conditions such as heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory infections. The ALA says secondhand smoke is responsible for as many as 69,000 deaths from heart disease and 3,400 lung cancer deaths every year.
Effects of Quitting
The NIH says not long after you quit smoking, blood pressure and circulation improves, your compromised sense of smell comes back and you will breathe easier. The longer you remain tobacco free, the more you reduce your chances of developing cancer and other smoking-related diseases.
