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Health Hazards of Tobacco & Smoking

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Surgeon General, smoking is the single most avoidable cause of morbidity and mortality. More than 400,000 Americans die each year from complications directly related to tobacco use. Tobacco users become dependent on nicotine, the highly addictive substance found in tobacco. This addiction causes a multitude of diseases, some of them fatal.

  1. Cancers

    • Smokers not only inhale carbon monoxide when they smoke, they also inhale over 4,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. Smokers who inhale cigarette smoke have significantly increased their chances of developing cancers. The 2004 U.S. Surgeon General's report found links to lung, cervical, kidney, esophageal, laryngeal, pancreatic and stomach cancers in smokers. Chewing tobacco, also known as smokeless tobacco, is as dangerous as smoking and can cause oral and lung cancers.

    Cardiovascular Disease

    • Smoking causes injury to blood vessels and accelerates atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries. This may lead to strokes, blood clots, high blood pressure and heart disease. If a smoker quits smoking, her risk of heart disease will be cut to half of what it was when she was smoking. After 15 years, her risk of developing heart disease would be equivalent to that of a non-smoker.

    Respiratory Disease

    • Many smokers suffer from a variety of chronic obstruction pulmonary diseases (COPD). When smoke is repeatedly inhaled into the lungs, it damages the cilia, tiny hair-like structures that line the lungs and protect against infection. Smokers are at increased risk for bronchial infections, coughing, decreased lung function and pneumonia. Emphysema is a disease that is almost exclusively related to smoking and can lead to death. Inhaled smoke coats the alveoli, tiny gas-exchanging sacs in the lungs, and makes breathing difficult, eventually leading to the collapse of the lungs. Emphysema is irreversible, even if a smoker quits.

    Reproductive Complications

    • Women who smoke may suffer from infertility. If they become pregnant, their babies have a higher risk of suffering from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and low birth weights. Female smokers also risk stillbirths and premature deliveries.

    Diminished Bone Density

    • Smokers are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis, or low bone density, than those who do not smoke. Smoking reduces the amount of calcium that the body absorbs, leading to an increased risk for bone fractures. The hormone estrogen helps the body absorb calcium. Although the bone mass of men is also reduced if they smoke, the reduced flow of estrogen in post-menopausal women places them at particular risk for osteoporosis.

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