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Tobacco and Cancer, Source: The American Cancer Society

Each month we will highlight important information that each one of us can implement in our own lives to help in the fight against cancer. This month I feel compelled to talk about the dangers of tobacco, both for those that smoke and for those who know someone who smokes. Below is just a small excerpt of the information available from the American Cancer Society:

Smoking damages nearly every organ in the human body, is linked to at least 15 different cancers, and accounts for some 30% of all cancer deaths. And it costs billions of dollars each year. Yet one in five Americans still light up. If you or someone you love uses tobacco, here’s what you need to know about how tobacco kills, and how to get the help you need to quit. The American Cancer Society has a wealth information on the topic on their website here.

The 1982 United States Surgeon General’s report stated that”Cigarette smoking is the major single cause of cancer mortality (death) in the United States.” This statement is as true today as it was in 1982 (statistics). Smoking is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the United States. Here are some more eye-opening facts:

• About half of all Americans who keep smoking will die because of the habit. Each year about 443,000 people in the United States die from illnesses related to cigarette smoking. Cigarettes kill more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined.
• Cigarette smoking accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths. It is a major cause of the following cancers:
  • lung,
  • voice box (larynx),
  • mouth (oral cavity),
  • throat (pharynx),
  • bladder,
  • the swallowing tube connected to the stomach (esophagus)
• Smoking is also linked to the following cancers:
  • pancreas,
  • cervix,
  • kidney,
  • stomach,
  • some leukemias
• Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States for both men and women. (Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2008) Smoking is responsible for about 87% of lung cancer deaths. Lung cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat.
• Lung cancer is the most preventable form of cancer death in our society. (Source: Cancer Facts and Figures 2008) Because cigarette smoking and tobacco use are acquired behaviors — activities that people choose to do — smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death in our society.

Secondhand smoke is also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) or passive smoke. It is a mixture of 2 forms of smoke that comes from burning tobacco:

• sidestream smoke: smoke that comes from the end of a lighted cigarette, pipe, or cigar
• mainstream smoke: smoke that is exhaled by a smoker

When non-smokers are exposed to secondhand smoke it is called involuntary smoking or passive smoking. Non-smokers who breathe in secondhand smoke take in nicotine and other toxic chemicals just like smokers do. The more secondhand smoke you are exposed to, the higher the level of these harmful chemicals in your body.

Secondhand smoke can cause harm in many ways. In the United States alone, each year it is responsible for:

• an estimated 35,000 deaths from heart disease in non-smokers who live with smokers
• about 3,000 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults
• other breathing problems in non-smokers, including coughing, mucus, chest discomfort, and reduced lung function
• 150,000 to 300,000 lung infections (such as pneumonia and bronchitis) in children younger than 18 months of age, which result in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations annually
• increases in the number and severity of asthma attacks in about 200,000 to 1 million children who have asthma
• more than 750,000 middle ear infections in children

Pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke are also at increased risk of having low birth weight babies. And currently they are exploring possible links between second-hand smoke and breast cancer as well.

Cancer. Heart disease. Emphysema. Smoking causes one in five deaths and millions of illnesses every year in the US. What toll is your habit taking?

Do you or does someone you love want to quit smoking? Please accept the Great American Smokeout Challenge:

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