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Reasons Why Smoking Is Harmful

Though they are the most preventable health problems, smokers can expect vastly increased risks of developing cancers, heart disease, reproductive problems and other health concerns compared with nonsmokers. In addition to health issues, smoking is a contributor to bad breath, teeth discoloration, prematurely wrinkled skin and reduced athletic performance. The American Lung Association says that nearly 400,000 Americans die each year from smoking, and another 50,000 deaths are related to secondhand smoke exposure.

  1. Smoking and Cancer

    • According to the American Cancer Society, smoking is the single highest cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, yet it is the most preventable cause of death because smoking is a voluntary activity. At least 30 percent of cancer deaths are caused by smoking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that smoking might cause acute myeloid leukemia, a blood cancer that interferes with your body's manufacture of healthy blood cells. Smoking also might cause cancers of the throat, mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, uterus, cervix, bladder and larynx.

    Smoking and Your Heart

    • The leading cause of death in the United States is coronary heart disease, of which one contributor is smoking. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, smokers are two to four times more likely than nonsmokers to develop coronary heart disease. Abdominal aortic aneurysm, a condition in which the aorta is weakened or swollen where it passes through the abdomen, can also be caused by smoking. Smoking is also responsible for narrowing your blood vessels. This restricts circulation and is a contributing factor to peripheral vascular disease, which is when the large arteries of the body are blocked. The results of narrowed blood vessels range from pain to gangrene.

    Smoking and Your Lungs

    • Smoking causes lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, smoking is responsible for almost nine out of 10 lung cancer deaths. The surgeon general notes that compared with nonsmokers, women who smoke are 13 times more likely to develop lung cancer, and men who smoke are 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer. An additional lung problem caused by smoking includes damage to the small air sacs, or alveoli, of the lungs, leading to a risk of developing emphysema, chronic bronchitis and chronic airway obstruction.

    Smoking, Reproductive Health and Children

    • Smoking is responsible for several reproductive problems. The Division of Reproductive Health at the CDC states that women who smoke while pregnant put themselves and their developing fetus at risk. Women who smoke have 30 percent higher odds of infertility and preterm delivery, have babies that are 1.4 to three times more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome and give birth to children with lower birth weights than nonsmoking mothers. Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at greater risk for acute lower respiratory infections, increased and more severe ear infections and more frequent and severe asthma attacks, according to the 2006 surgeon general report on the consequences of secondhand smoke. The surgeon general reports that there is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure for children.

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