Health Risks of Smoking

According to the American Lung Association, smoking is directly responsible for about 90 percent of the deaths due to lung cancer. Smoking is also responsible for the majority of deaths due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Studies have demonstrated that smokers with asthma who give up smoking can improve their lung function in as little as 1 week. After just a week, lung function test scores in those who stopped smoking improved considerably. In less than 2 months, lung function scores among those who stopped smoking improved by more than 15%.

Forty years have passed since the first landmark Surgeon General's report on smoking and health. Yet, smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in this country. It continues to cost our society too many lives, too many dollars, and too many tears.
Smoking causes cancers in parts of the body (including the kidney, cervix, and bone marrow) that have not been previously linked to to smoking in this series of reports.
Smoking diminishes health generally. Adverse health effects begin before birth and continue across the life span. Smoking also contributes to the development of osteoporosis, thus increasing the risk for fracture in the elderly.
During 1995-1999, smoking caused approximately 440,000 premature deaths in the United States annually, leading to 13.2 years of potential life lost for male smokers, and 14.5 years lost for female smokers.
Changes in cigarettes that reduce machine yields of tar and nicotine have not had any clear benefits for public health.
Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causing many diseases and reducing the health of smokers in general.
Quitting smoking has immediate as well as long-term benefits, reducing risks for diseases caused by smoking and improving health in general.
Smoking cigarettes with lower machine-measured yields of tar and nicotine provides no clear benefit to health.
The list of diseases caused by smoking has been expanded to include abdominal aortic aneurysm, acute myeloid leukemia, cataract, cervical cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, pneumonia, periodontitis, and stomach cancer. These are in addition to diseases previously known to be caused by smoking, including bladder, esophageal, laryngeal, lung, oral, and throat cancers, chronic lung diseases, coronary heart and cardiovascular diseases, as well as reproductive effects and sudden infant death syndrome.
Effects of Smoking During Pregnancy
Continuing to smoke during pregnancy carries risks for the unborn child.
Smoking is toxic to the unborn child, and studies have shown that getting pregnant may be more difficult for smokers.
Most cases of lung cancer death, close to 90% in men, and 80% in women are caused by cigarette smoking.
Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., and the leading cause of death caused by smoking.
Respiratory disease is an all too common side effect of smoking. The occasional smoker's cough is often the first signal of trouble in the lungs. Chronic bronchitis usually follows, and if left unchecked, the end result can be emphysema.
Seniors face increased risks associated with smoking which include hip fractures, cataracts, and COPD.
There are approximately 4000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, many of them toxic. The ingredients in cigarettes affect everything from the internal functioning of organs to the efficiency of the body's immune system.
Smokers have a harder time healing from surgeries, and have more overall health issues than do nonsmokers. This results in more time away from work, and more doctor and hospital visits. Smoking compromises a person's health in so many ways.