Why Is Smoking Harmful to the Body?

Smoking is extremely harmful to many parts of the body. The American Cancer Society says that smoking causes almost 20 percent of all deaths in the United States and 30 percent of deaths from cancer.

Cancer

• Cigarette smoke contains more than 60 chemicals that can cause cancer. Smoking causes almost 90 percent of deaths from lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. It is associated with more than a dozen other cancers, including bladder, stomach, pancreas, kidney and cervix. It can also cause acute myeloid leukemia, heart disease and other health problems.

Brain, Kidneys and Liver

• The tar in cigarettes contains chemicals that cause damage to the brain, kidneys and liver.

Heart Attacks

• Nicotine and carbon monoxide, two of the more than 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes, cause heart attacks.

Respiratory Illnesses

• The smoking process and the chemicals in cigarettes cause respiratory illnesses such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, shortness of breath and asthma.

Smoking While Pregnant

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that women who smoke while pregnant risk the following conditions: stillbirth, complications in pregnancy, having a premature infant or one with low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome.

Strokes and High Blood Pressure

• Nicotine increases blood pressure and the possibility of strokes.