Smoker Vs. Non Smoker Deaths

The toxins in cigarette smoke attack nearly all parts of the body, from the mouths that suck in the smoke to the lungs, heart and other organs that deal with the aftermath. Smoking puts tobacco users at much higher risk of death from cancer, emphysema and heart disease than non-smokers.

Cancer

• The American Lung Association reports that nearly 5,000 chemicals emanate from cigarette smoke, 69 of which cause cancer. That more than 90 percent of lung cancer cases involve smokers illustrates the contrast in morbidity between smokers and non-smokers.

Emphysema

• Prolonged exposure of lungs to the irritating chemicals of cigarette smoke often leads to the breathing disease known as emphysema. The disease slowly diminishes breathing capacity over time, often leading to death. Non-smokers rarely suffer from this disease.

Heart Disease

• The American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society and a host of other medical groups agree smoking greatly increases risk for potentially fatal coronary heart disease. Carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke binds to blood cells, replacing oxygen and forcing the heart to work hard to bring more oxygen into the body.

Secondhand Killer

• The actions of smokers can impact the health and life expectancy of non-smokers in the form of secondhand smoke. The U.S. Surgeon General concludes secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart attacks, cancer and other fatal illnesses in smokers and non-smokers alike.

Benefits of Quitting

• Smokers who become non-smokers greatly increase their prospects of a longer life with health benefits realized almost immediately after inhaling the last puff. Twenty minutes after the final cigarette, heart rates and blood pressure return to normal, and withing 12 hours, unsafe levels of carbon monoxide leave the body.