PRODUCTS
MY CART
CONTACT A+ SMOKER's CONTROL
- 14359 Miramar Parkway,
Suite 172 Miramar, FL 33027 - 1 888-79 READY
1 888 797-3239 -
- Andrew.Knowles@aplussmoke
rscontrol.com - Tell a Friend
The effects of smoking are numerous. To our knowledge, this is one of the most complete, all-inclusive listings of statistics and health concerns ever compiled. And it continues to be updated frequently…
A Smoker’s Lung…
Index – The following is a list of the topics in the section in order as they appear. You may then scroll down quickly to that section.
General – Nonspecific smoking statistics
Death-related statistics
Cancer-related statistics
- Lung Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Oral Cancer
- Oropharyngeal / Laryngeal / Throat / Tracheal Cancers
- Nasal Cavity Cancers
- Kidney / Renal / Renal Cell Cancers
- Urinary Bladder Cancer
- Stomach Cancer
- Liver Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Prostate Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Leukemia
- Cervical Cancer
Smoking and Alcohol
Smoking and Illicit Drug Use
Disease Processes by Organ System
- Lung Disease
- COPD / Chronic Bronchitis / Emphysema
- Heart Disease and High Blood Pressure
- Vascular Disease / Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) / Stroke
- Brain
- Liver Disease
- Diabetes and Kidney Disease
- Gastrointestinal Disease
- Thyroid Disease
- Eye
Teenage (Adolescent) Smoking, Teens, Teenagers
Women: Overall factors, Pregnancy and Fertility
Impotence / Erectile Dysfunction / Men’s Health
Second Hand Smoke (SHS) / Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) / Passive Smoke / Involuntary Smoking
Smokeless tobacco / Chew / Snuff
Children of Smokers
Older Smokers / Geriatrics / Elderly
Cigar / Pipe Smokers
Miscellaneous
US tobacco sellers are not required to list what is in their products.
Studies show if you are not a smoker by the time you are a productive adult (approximately 25 years old), you have the LOWEST probability of every smoking. When did you start? Are there young family member (children, grandchildren, nieces/nephews, cousins) or friends who might be tempted to start smoking that you might be able to influence not to start?
The average former smoker made eight attempts at quitting before finally being successful.
90% of all smokers light up for the first time before they turn 18.
Nicotine is far more addictive than heroin, cocaine, and alcohol. A hit of nicotine reaches your brain in just seven seconds. That’s twice as fast as heroin injected directly into a vein.
Smoking low tar, low nicotine or ‘light’ cigarettes does not decrease the risk of developing lung cancer. People tend to adjust their smoking style to increase the amount of tar and nicotine taken in through the lungs.
Death
Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death in the
Smoking is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths in the
Lung disease is the number two cause of death in the
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), by itself, is the number four cause of death in the
Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer death.
50% of smokers eventually die because of their habit, from cancer, heart disease and other illnesses. Half of these people die during middle age, losing ten years of life on average.
437,000 Americans die each year from smoking.
3,000,000 people worldwide die each year from health issues cased by tobacco.
More people die from smoking than AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse, car and plane crashes, murders, suicides, and fires combined.
Secondhand smoke is responsible for an estimated 35,000 deaths from heart disease in non-smokers who live with smokers.
Secondhand smoke is responsible for about 3,400 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults.
Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of heart disease, which is the number one cause of death in the
Smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes are all risk factors for heart disease, but cigarette smoking is the biggest risk factor for sudden death from a heart attack.
Smokers who have a heart attack are more likely to die within an hour of the heart attack than non-smokers.
Cancer
Men who smoke are 23 times more likely to develop cancer than men who don’t (any type of cancer, not just lung).
Cigarette smoking is responsible for about 30% of all cancer deaths annually (again, any type of cancer, not just lung).
Carcinogens in cigarette smoke damage the DNA in cells that controls their growth. Unrestrained growth and replication of cells is the hallmark of malignant cancer cells.
- Lung Cancer
a. 7 of 8 people diagnosed with lung cancer will not be alive at five years after diagnosis.
b. Secondhand smoke is responsible for about 3,400 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults.
c. Women who smoke are 13 times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers.
d. About 5% of all newly diagnosed cases of lung cancer are caused by secondhand smoke. Exposure to secondhand smoke, or passive smoking causes about 3000 lung cancer deaths per year.
e. People who quit smoking before the age of 35 can reduce their risks of developing lung cancer by 90%.
f. People who quit smoking before the age of 50 substantially reduce their risk of developing lung cancer.
a. Cigarette smoking has been definitely linked to a higher risk for colon cancer.
b. Studies indicate 12% of fatal colorectal cancers may be attributable to smoking.
c. Tobacco smoke transports carcinogens to the colon.
d. Tobacco use appears to increase polyp size. In general, the bigger the polyp, the greater the chance it will become cancerous.
e. Smokers have twice the risk of developing colon tumors with microsatellite instability (MSI). MSI inhibits cells' ability to repair damaged DNA and therefore promotes cancer development. The risk of MSI increases the longer a person smokes and the more a person smokes. The risk of MSI decreases after a person hasn't smoked for 15 years.
- Breast Cancer
a. The prevalence of breast cancer among current smokers was 30% higher than the women who had never smoked – regardless of whether the nonsmokers had been exposed to secondhand or passive smoke. Those at greatest risk: Women who started smoking before age 20, who began smoking at least five years before their first full-term pregnancy, and who had smoked for longer periods of time or smoked 20 or more cigarettes per day.
b. Older women who smoke cigarettes or have smoked for long periods of time may be up to 40% more likely to develop breast cancer than women who never smoked. 30% to 40% increased risk of breast cancer among:
1. Women who were current or long-term smokers (a pack a day for 11 years or more)
2. Women who started smoking at a younger age
3. Women who started smoking before the birth of their first child
c. Women who had smoked cigarettes for 20 years or more and used combination hormone replacement therapy were more than twice as likely to develop breast cancer as women who have never smoked or used hormone replacement therapy.
- Esophageal Cancer - In the
- Oral Cancer - Oral cancer may develop in any part of the mouth. Risk factors for oral cancer include smoking or chewing tobacco and excessive use of alcohol.
- Oropharyngeal / Laryngeal / Throat / Tracheal Cancers - Smokers are about 6 times more likely to have cancer of the mouth and throat than people who don’t smoke. All forms of smoking are linked to these cancers, including cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. Tobacco smoke can cause cancer anywhere in the mouth and throat as well as in the lungs, the bladder, and many other organs in the body. Pipe smoking is particularly linked with lesions of the lips, where the pipe comes in contact with the tissue. Smokeless tobacco is linked with cancers of the cheeks, gums, and inner surface of the lips. The risk of these cancers is as much as 50 times higher in people who use smokeless tobacco than in those who do not. Cancers caused by smokeless tobacco use often begin as leukoplakia or erythroplakia.
- Nasal Cavity Cancer - Anything which increases your chance of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean you will get cancer; not having risk factors doesn’t mean you will not get cancer. People who think they may be at risk should discuss this with their doctor. Risk factors for paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancer include the following: Smoking.
- Kidney / Renal / Renal Cell Cancers - If you smoke cigarettes, your risk for kidney cancer is twice that of nonsmokers. Cigars may also increase your risk.
- Urinary Bladder Cancer - More than most cancers, bladder cancer is associated with exposure to cancer-promoting chemicals, or carcinogens. For example, cigarette smokers have two times more risk than nonsmokers of developing bladder cancer because of specific carcinogens in tobacco smoke.
- Stomach Cancer - In the
- Liver Cancer - Various cancer-causing substances are associated with primary liver cancer. Smoking, especially if you abuse alcohol as well, increases risk.
- Prostate Cancer - Exposure to cadmium, through smoking, diet, and workplaces such as ore smelters or factories where nickel-cadmium batteries are made may increase the risk of prostate cancer.
- Pancreatic Cancer - A factor which could put you at risk for developing pancreatic cancer includes: Smoking.
- Leukemia (a form of cancer of the blood or bone marrow) - A risk factor is anything that raises your chance of getting a disease. A risk factor for some types of leukemia includes: Smoking and tobacco use.
- Cervical Cancer - HPV, the Human Papilloma Virus, is vastly more dangerous in women who smoke. Women who smoke are more likely to get cervical cancer if they become infected with that virus than are nonsmokers. While the nonsmokers studied were six times as likely to develop cancer if infected, smokers were more than 14 times as likely to get cancer within nine years if they had the virus.
Based on Pap smears taken an average of nine years before the women developed cervical cancer, the researchers were able to tell whether the women had had an HPV-16 infection.
They also were able to see whether the women had had high or low levels of HPV in their blood -- something doctors call high or low viral load.
The results:
1. Among smokers, those who had tested positive for HPV-16 were 14.4 times more likely to get cervical cancer than those who did not have the infection.
2. Among smokers, those who had had high HPV-16 viral load were 27 times more likely to get cervical cancer than those who did not have the infection.
3. However, among nonsmokers, those who had tested positive for HPV-16 were only six times more likely to get cervical cancer than nonsmokers who did not have the infection. Having high vs. low HPV-16 viral load did not affect that statistic.
Women who had continued to smoke further multiplied their chances of getting cervical cancer.
Researchers suggest smoking may help HPV-16 grow faster -- possibly by slowing helpful immune responses. They also suggest smoking may speed the process by which HPV-16 causes cancer.
Smoking and Alcohol
1) Drinkers are more likely to smoke than nondrinker.s
2) Smokers are more likely to drink than nonsmokers.
3) Smokers are 30% more likely to consume alcohol.
4) Smokers are 10 times more likely to develop alcoholism than nonsmokers.
5) 80%-95% of alcoholics smoke.
6) 70% of alcoholics are “heavy smokers” (greater than one pack per day).
7) It is hypothesized that smoking may contribute to alcohol tolerance which can lead to increased drinking.
8) Smokers drink about twice as much alcohol as non-smokers.
9) Reducing drinking helps people quit smoking.
10) Smoking cessation helps with sobriety among alcoholics.
11) Relapse to drinking in alcoholics may cause smoking relapse.
12) The liver is an important organ that has many tasks. The liver is responsible for processing drugs, alcohol, and other toxins and removing them from the body. Research shows smoking harms the liver’s ability to process such substances. In some cases, if the liver has been damaged from cigarette smoking, the dose of medication necessary to treat an illness may be affected. Research also suggests smoking can worsen liver disease caused by drinking too much alcohol.
Smoking and Illicit Drug Use
1) Smoking is strongly associated as a precursor for illicit drug use.
- 65% of children who smoked both cigarettes and marijuana by the 12th grade, smoked cigarettes first.
- 98% of children who smoked cigarettes and used cocaine, smoked cigarettes first.
2) Studies show the earlier the age a person starts smoking the increased likelihood they will experiment with illicit drugs such as cocaine or heroin.
- Greater than half of people who started smoking before age 15 use an illegal drug in their lifetime versus 25% of people who do not start smoking until 17 years of age.
- People who start smoking before age 17 are seven times more likely to use cocaine than those who never smoke.
3) Studies show the amount of cigarettes smoked in a day correlates to illicit drug use.
- Young people who smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day are twice as likely to use an illicit drug and 16 times more likely to use cocaine than those who smoke less frequently.
- Young people who smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day are 10 times more likely to use an illicit drug and 100 times more likely to use cocaine than those who have never smoked.
4) Smokeless tobacco use in high school students 20 to 30 days a month are four times more likely to use marijuana than nonusers, and three times more likely to ever use cocaine.
Lung Disease
1) Lung disease is the number two cause of death.
2) Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer death
3) Lung disease is the number one cause of morbidity (Illness) and mortality (death) due to smoking.
4) Smoking severely compromises lung function
5) Smokers have more acute lower respiratory illnesses than nonsmokers
6) Smokers take longer to recover from acute lower respiratory illnesses
7) Lung diseases associated with smoking include (but are not limited to):
- Malignant and nonmalignant lung cancers
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Bronchitis
- Influenza
- Emphysema
- Pneumonia
COPD - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease / Chronic Bronchitis / Emphysema
Section through an emphysematous lung
Emphysematous lung
The word Chronic means it won’t go away.
The word Obstructive means partly blocked.
The word Pulmonary means in the lungs.
The word Disease means sickness.
COPD is airway flow limitation which is different than the airway flow limitation due to asthma. In basic terms, asthmatics have difficulty getting air in, people with COPD have difficulty getting air out. COPD is an inflammatory response to noxious particles, most commonly tobacco smoke. Asthma is somewhat treatable and reversible (can go back to normal). COPD is irreversible (cannot go back to normal). Once you are diagnosed with COPD, it is irreversible and progressive. This is the main reason to stop smoking sooner rather than later because no one knows who or when they will get COPD and once the signs and symptoms appears, it is usually too late.
In the past there was a differentiation between chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Today it has been realized most people have a combination, and symptoms, of both chronic bronchitis and emphysema so the disease process is termed COPD incorporating both chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Chronic bronchitis is an increased size and number of mucous glands within the lungs. This causes an increase in mucous production which causes a chronic, productive cough as the body is attempting to rid itself of the increased mucous. Emphysema is the destruction of the alveoli (the smallest airway sacks). The alveoli then tend to coalesce forming blebs which can sometimes be seen on a chest X-ray
· Smoking is the main cause of COPD. 15%-30% of smokers will develop COPD. It is very rare in nonsmokers.
· COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), by itself, is the number four cause of death in the
· According to the World Health Organization, as of the year 2000 it is estimated there were close to 3,000,000 deaths world-wide due to COPD.
· “As a cause of morbidity and a burden of disease,” the World Health Organization in 1990 ranked COPD 12th and by the year 2012 estimated to reach 5th world wide.
· Only about half of significant obstructive lung disease is clinically recognized.
· It is estimated 10%-15% of people over the age of 55 have significant COPD (Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease). Smoking is the major contributor to this.
Influenza is a bacterial infection. Smoking is a proven risk factor for bacterial infections. This is true for smokers and people exposed to smoke-filled rooms – especially children. Severity and increased course duration of infection is also found in smokers. Risk in getting COPD is higher in people who started smoking as a teenager
Smoking as a teenager causes permanent genetic changes in the lungs which increases the risk of lung cancer -> forever
Women are at even higher risk of COPD if they started to smoke before 16 years of age.
Pneumonia is more common in smokers. It is more likely to be fatal in smokers. We are exposed to bacteria on a daily basis. It is in the air; the food we eat; on our skin, mouth and lungs. Smoking increases bacterial attachment to lung tissue, decreases the ability of the body to clear the bacteria from the body and changes the immune response. “Everything in moderation” is one of my philosophies in life. Whether eating, drinking, and yes, even exercising. The problem with smoking is it is rarely in moderation. We do not allow the body to recover from the previous cigarette before we light up again. I am not condoning smoking by any means and I don’t know what “smoking in moderation” would be. Once a day? Once a week? Once a month? The problem is there are very few people who smoke who are not dependent.
Asthma is aggravated by smoking.
· Cigarette smoke irritates the airways, causing them to become swollen, narrow, and filled with mucus. This is also similar to an asthma attack. This is why smoking can cause asthma attacks to become more frequent.
· Smoking can counteract the effects of any controller medication taken on a daily basis.
· Smoking can cause an increase in rescue medicine needed.
· Smoking is associated with an increased risk of severe asthma attacks requiring a hospital visit.
· Secondhand smoke is a known asthma trigger. Exposure to secondhand smoke will increase the number and severity of asthma symptoms.
Heart Disease and High Blood Pressure
1) Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of heart disease, which is the number one cause of death in the
2) Smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes are all risk factors for heart disease, but cigarette smoking is the biggest risk factor for sudden death from a heart attack.
3) Smokers who have a heart attack are more likely to die within an hour of the heart attack than non-smokers.
4) The risk of dying from a heart attack is 60 percent higher for smokers than nonsmokers 65 years of age or older.
5) Cigarette smoke can harm the heart at very low levels, even when the amount is too low to cause lung disease.
6) Risk in getting heart disease is higher in people who started smoking as a teenager.
7) Nicotine causes arteries to constrict, so smoking reduces the blood supply to the heart.
8) Cigarette smoking releases powerful body chemicals that can cause cardiac rhythm abnormalities.
9) Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of chronic kidney disease. In both groups smoking increased the chances of getting renal disease. Smoking also made kidney disease occur at a faster rate. Stopping smoking was shown to be one of the most important things a person could do to help maintain kidney function.
10) In people with high blood pressure, smoking increases the risk for microalbuminuria (the presence of protein in the urine) almost two times higher than nonsmokers.
11) Smoking causes heart disease. Kidney failure and dialysis also increase risks for heart disease. For chronic kidney disease patients who smoke, stopping may be the one most important thing they can do to slow the progression of both kidney and heart failure.
12) Smoking increases your cholesterol levels and the levels of some other fats in your blood, raising your risk of a heart attack.
13) People with diabetes who smoke are three times as likely to die of cardiovascular disease as are other people with diabetes.
14) People with diabetes who smoke are three times more likely to die of heart attack or stroke than people with diabetes who do not smoke.
15) Secondhand smoke is responsible for an estimated 35,000 deaths from heart disease in non-smokers who live with smokers.
Vascular Disease / Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) / Stroke
1) Smoking thickens the blood by increasing the production of red blood cells. This promotes clotting and can close off a narrowed section of an important blood vessel.
2) People with diabetes who smoke are three times more likely to die of heart attack or stroke than people with diabetes who do not smoke.
3) Men 65 years of age or older who smoke are twice as likely to die from a stroke.
4) Women smokers are about one and a half times as likely to die from a stroke as their nonsmoking counterparts.
Brain
1) In the elderly years, the rate of mental decline is up to five times faster in smokers than in nonsmokers.
2) Substantial evidence chronic tobacco use is harmful to the brain and speeds up the onset of alzheimer’s disease.
3) Men 65 years of age or older who smoke are twice as likely to die from a stroke.
4) Women smokers are about one and a half times as likely to die from a stroke as their nonsmoking counterparts.
5) Among the elderly, smokers experience mental decline five times faster than nonsmokers.
6) Among the elderly, smokers have a much higher risk of both Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
7) Migraine headaches - The best way to manage migraine headaches is to avoid them. Smoking and secondhand smoke are migraine headache triggers.
8) Cluster headaches - Quitting smoking or reducing exposure to second-hand smoke is especially helpful for those with cluster headaches.
Liver Disease
The liver is an important organ that has many tasks. The liver is responsible for processing drugs, alcohol, and other toxins and removing them from the body. Research shows smoking harms the liver’s ability to process such substances. In some cases, if the liver has been damaged from cigarette smoking, the dose of medication necessary to treat an illness may be affected. Research also suggests smoking can worsen liver disease caused by drinking too much alcohol.
Diabetes and Kidney Disease
1) The risk of kidney cancer for smokers appears to be 38% higher than for those people who have never smoked.
2) Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of chronic kidney disease. In both groups smoking increased the chances of getting renal disease. Smoking also made kidney disease occur at a faster rate. Stopping smoking was shown to be one of the most important things a person could do to help maintain kidney function.
3) Kidney disease risk in diabetics is about two to three times higher than for those who don’t smoke.
4) In diabetic smokers, there is a 2.8 times greater risk of microalbuminuria (the presence of protein in the urine). This is an early sign of diabetic kidney disease. For those taking insulin, smoking also advances microalbuminuria to proteinuria (an excessive amount of protein in the urine), which means kidneys may be failing.
5) For people with diabetes, stopping smoking can have a significant effect on the health of their kidneys. A study done with patients who had Type 1 diabetes and stopped smoking showed a 30% reduction in the progression of kidney disease.
6) In people with high blood pressure, smoking increases the risk for microalbuminuria almost two times higher than nonsmokers.
7) Smoking causes heart disease. Kidney failure and dialysis also increase risks for heart disease. For chronic kidney disease patients who smoke, stopping may be the one most important thing they can do to slow the progression of both kidney and heart failure.
8) Smoking increases the risk of end stage renal disease (resulting in dialysis). The risk is even higher for heavy smokers.
9) People with diabetes who smoke are three times as likely to die of cardiovascular disease as are other people with diabetes.
10) Smoking 16 to 25 cigarettes a day, your risk for Type 2 diabetes is 3 times greater than a non-smoker’s risk.
11) Smokers have poorer glucose control than non-smokers. With smoking cessation, former smokers have the same blood glucose control as non-smokers.
12) People with diabetes who smoke are three times more likely to die of heart attack or stroke than people with diabetes who do not smoke.
Gastrointestinal Disease
1) Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) - People who smoke for more than 20 years are 70% more likely to have acid reflux disease than nonsmokers.
2) Normally, a muscular valve at the lower end of the esophagus, called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), keeps the acids in the stomach and out of the esophagus. Smoking, however, weakens the LES, which allows stomach acid to flow into the esophagus. When stomach acid comes in contact with the esophagus, the inner lining can become injured or damaged.
3) Smoking can harm all parts of the digestive system, contributing to such common disorders as heartburn and peptic ulcers.
4) Smoking increases the risk of Crohn's disease.
Thyroid Disease
1) A journal article in The New England Journal of Medicine says smoking is associated with so many abnormalities of thyroid function it is unlikely it has just one single effect on the thyroid gland.
2) Smoking is associated with an increased risk of developing clinically overt autoimmune thyroid disease.
3) Hypothyroidism - In women with hypothyroidism, smoking decreases both thyroid secretion and thyroid hormone action. It has been suggested smoking may increase the risk of hypothyroidism in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
4) Hyperthyroidism (many times known as Graves’ disease) - Smokers are twice as likely as nonsmokers to develop Graves' disease. Smoking also apparently worsens eye problems in people with Graves' disease. Some research has suggested environmental factors such as smoking, rather than genetics, were likely to predispose certain individuals with autoimmune thyroid disease to severe Graves’ disease. Smoking also worsens eye problems in people with Graves' disease.
Eye Disease
1) Older smokers have two to three times the risk of developing cataracts (the leading cause of blindness) compared to nonsmokers.
2) Blindness / Macular Degeneration - Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a severe and progressive condition that results in loss of central vision. It results in blindness because of the inability to use the part of the retina that allows for 'straight-ahead' activities such as reading, sewing, and even driving a vehicle. Smokers are four times more likely to become blind because of age-related macular degeneration than those who have never smoked. But quitting can lower that risk.
3) Study results appear mixed about a direct association between smoking and diabetic retinopathy, but most experts agree that smoking should be avoided to help stop progression of the disease.
4) Smoking causes shrinkage or constriction of blood vessels, shown to be directly linked to rising inner eye pressure (intraocular pressure) that can lead to glaucoma and accompanying optic nerve damage.
5) Optic neuritis – A landmark study found a strong association between factors such as poor nutrition and smoking linked to optic nerve damage.
Teenage (Adolescent) / High School Smoking, Teens, Teenagers
1) Risk of heart disease, COPD, and rheumatoid arthritis are far greater in people who began smoking as a teenager.
2) Smoking as a teenager causes permanent genetic changes in the lungs which increases the risk of lung cancer -> forever.
3) Women are at even higher risk of COPD if they started to smoke before 16 years of age.
4) 3% of high school students think they will still be smoking five years from now however 60% of those same high school students will still be smoking five years later…
5) Approximately 4,000 children between 12 and 17 years of age smoke their first cigarette; an estimated 1,300 of them will become regular smokers. Half of them will ultimately die from their habit.
6) About 3,000 teenagers pick up the smoking habit each day in
7) It takes 16 to 20 years for the average person who started smoking as a teen to finally quit smoking.
8) 6.4 million students today will eventually die of a smoking-related disease.
9) 90% of adults who smoke started by the age of 21, and half of them became regular smokers by their 18th birthday.
10) Data released by the Federal Trade Commission in April 2007 showed that tobacco companies are continuing to spend billions of dollars annually marketing their products. In 2005, cigarette companies spent $13.1 billion on marketing efforts—approximately $36 million a day. The majority of these dollars are spent on price promotions, such as “buy one, get one free” or coupons for $1.50 off two packs. These promotions target children, the most price-sensitive consumers, and attempt to undermine states’ efforts to increase the cost of cigarettes by raising cigarette excise taxes.
11) According to numerous studies, films play a role in influencing teens in their decision to start smoking. Researchers found that teens who were exposed to the greatest amount of smoking in movies were 2.6 times more likely to start smoking themselves compared with those teens who watched the least amount of smoking in movies. While smoking prevalence has been declining among major adolescent and adult movie characters, 39 percent of top box office films still depict more smoking than actually occurred among
Smoking and Illicit Drug Use
1) Smoking is strongly associated as a precursor for illicit drug use.
· 65% of children who smoked both cigarettes and marijuana by the 12th grade, smoked cigarettes first.
· 98% of children who smoked cigarettes and used cocaine, smoked cigarettes first.
2) Studies show the earlier the age a person starts smoking the increased likelihood they will experiment with illicit drugs such as cocaine or heroin.
· Greater than half of people who started smoking before age 15 use an illegal drug in their lifetime versus 25% of people who do not start smoking until 17 years of age.
· People who start smoking before age 17 are seven times more likely to use cocaine than those who never smoke.
3) Studies show the amount of cigarettes smoked in a day correlates to illicit drug use.
· Young people who smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day are twice as likely to use an illicit drug and 16 times more likely to use cocaine than those who smoke less frequently.
· Young people who smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day are 10 times more likely to use an illicit drug and 100 times more likely to use cocaine than those who have never smoked.
4) Smokeless tobacco use in high school students 20 to 30 days a month are four times more likely to use marijuana than nonusers, and three times more likely to ever use cocaine.
Women: Overall factors, Pregnancy and Fertility
1) Women who smoke are three times more likely to have difficulty getting pregnant
2) Women who smoke are more likely to lose their baby to spontaneous abortion and still birth
3) Smoking has been estimated to cause as many as 140,000 miscarriages each year
4) Smoking during pregnancy causes premature labor and delivery, cleft palate and cleft lip, still birth, infant death, miscarriage, and numerous childhood cancers
5) Up to 5% of infant deaths would be prevented if pregnant women did not smoke.
6) Men who smoke have reduced sperm density and motility which can increase the risk of infertility.
7) Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) - Maternal smoking alone was associated with a doubling in SIDS risk. The risk was 17 times greater, however, for babies who bed shared and had mothers who smoked.
8) Pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke are also at increased risk of having low birth weight babies.
9) When a pregnant woman smokes, she's smoking for two. The nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other harmful chemicals enter her bloodstream, pass directly into the baby's body, and keep it from getting vital nutrients and oxygen it needs for growth.
10) Women smokers are about one and a half times as likely to die from a stroke as their nonsmoking counterparts.
11) Menopause - Women who smoke are known to undergo menopause 1-2 years earlier than women who do not smoke.
Impotence / Erectile Dysfunction (ED) / Men’s Health
1) Smoking can damage and block the blood vessels inside the penis, resulting in a failure to sustain a normal erection. In most cases, the damage won't be seen until it's too late - - sometimes not for 20 - 30 years or longer.
2) Impotence - Men who smoke more than a pack a day are 60% more likely to suffer erectile dysfunction, compared with men who never smoked cigarettes.
3) 15% of the past and present smokers had experienced erectile dysfunction.
4) Men who currently - and formerly -- smoked were about 30% more likely to suffer from impotence.
5) Men with high blood pressure who smoke are 26 times more likely to have erectile dysfunction, better known as impotence.
6) Men 65 years of age or older who smoke are twice as likely to die from a stroke.
7) Men who never smoke live approximately 10 years longer than men who smoke for most of their lives.
8) Men who smoke are at least twice as likely to die before the age of 70 than non-smoking men.
9) Smokers are three times more likely to die before the age of 90 than non-smokers.
10) Men who stop smoking by the time they are 30, live as long as men who have never smoked.
11) Men who quit at 40 live one year less than lifelong non-smokers.
12) Men who quit at 50 and 60 live four years and seven years less (as opposed to ten years less by continuing to smoke).
Second Hand Smoke (SHS) / Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) / Passive Smoke / Involuntary Smoking
Definitions:
· Sidestream smoke: Smoke that comes from the end of a lighted cigarette, pipe, or cigar
· Mainstream smoke: Smoke that is exhaled by a smoker
The 2006 US Surgeon General's report reached several important conclusions:
- Secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in children and in adults who do not smoke.
- Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma. Smoking by parents causes breathing (respiratory) symptoms and slows lung growth in their children.
- Secondhand smoke immediately affects the heart and blood circulation in a harmful way. It also causes heart disease and lung cancer.
- The scientific evidence shows that there is no "safe" level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
- Many millions of Americans, both children and adults, are still exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes and workplaces despite a great deal of progress in tobacco control.
- The only way to fully protect non-smokers from exposure to secondhand smoke indoors is to prevent all smoking in that indoor space or building. Separating smokers from non-smokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot keep non-smokers from being exposed to secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke has twice as much nicotine, and five times the carbon monoxide, as the smoke a smoker inhales. Of course the smoker also inhales their own secondhand smoke (how ironic)!
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists secondhand smoke as a Group A carcinogen, a rating used only for substances proven to cause cancer in humans.
1) Secondhand smoke is responsible for an estimated 35,000 deaths from heart disease in non-smokers who live with smokers.
2) About 5% of all newly diagnosed cases of lung cancer are caused by secondhand smoke.
3) Secondhand smoke is responsible for about 3,400 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults.
4) Secondhand smoke is responsible for other breathing problems in non-smokers, including coughing, mucus, chest discomfort, and reduced lung function.
5) Wherever smoke touches living cells, it does harm. Even if smokers don't inhale they are breathing the smoke as secondhand smoke and are still at risk for lung cancer. Pipe and cigar smokers, who often don’t inhale, are at an increased risk for lip, mouth, tongue, and some other cancers.
6) Secondhand smoke is responsible for increases in the number and severity of asthma attacks in about 200,000 to 1 million children who have asthma.
7) Secondhand smoke is responsible for more than 750,000 middle ear infections in children.
8) Children under the age of one whose parents smoke are more than 2 times as likely as children of nonsmokers to suffer asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, and other respiratory tract illnesses.
9) A child’s lung tissue is especially vulnerable to damage, even when the concentration of secondhand smoke is relatively low.
10) Smoking in a car, even with the windows open, is still dangerous to a child. The younger the child, the more vulnerable the lung tissue.
11) Pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke are also at increased risk of having low birth weight babies.
12) Migraine headaches - The best way to manage migraine headaches is to avoid them. Smoking and secondhand smoke are migraine headache triggers.
13) Cluster headaches - Quitting smoking or reducing exposure to second-hand smoke is especially helpful for those with cluster headaches.
Smokeless tobacco / Chew / Snuff
1) Like its rolled counterparts, smokeless tobacco contains almost 3,000 chemicals. Many of these you wouldn’t want to come into contact with your skin, let alone your mouth.
2) Smokeless tobacco products (for example, snuff and chewing tobacco) contain at least 28 chemicals that have been shown to increase the risk of oral cancer and cancer of the throat and esophagus. In fact, chewing tobacco contains higher levels of nicotine than cigarettes, making it harder to quit than cigarettes. And one can of snuff delivers more nicotine than over 60 cigarettes.
3) Smokeless tobacco is linked with cancers of the cheeks, gums, and inner surface of the lips. The risk of these cancers is as much as 50 times higher in people who use smokeless tobacco than in those who do not. Cancers caused by smokeless tobacco use often begin as leukoplakia or erythroplakia.
4) Smokeless tobacco also typically contains sand and grit, which can wear down your teeth.
Children of Smokers
1) Smoke inhaled by young children of mothers who smoke is associated with an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma, pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses, and ear infections.
2) Children under the age of one whose parents smoke are more than 2 times as likely as children of nonsmokers to suffer asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, and other respiratory tract illnesses.
3) A child’s lung tissue is especially vulnerable to damage, even when the concentration of secondhand smoke is relatively low.
4) Smoking in a car, even with the windows open, is still dangerous to a child. The younger the child, the more vulnerable the lung tissue.
5) Infantile Colic - irritability, inconsolable crying, red face, clenched fists, drawn-up legs, and screaming. Tobacco smoke appears to raise levels of a gut hormone called motilin in the blood and intestines. Motilin increases the contractions of the stomach and intestines, increasing the movement of food through the gut. "Higher-than-average motilin levels are linked to elevated risks of infantile colic.”
6) Secondhand smoke is responsible for increases in the number and severity of asthma attacks in about 200,000 to 1 million children who have asthma.
7) Secondhand smoke is responsible for more than 750,000 middle ear infections in children.
Older Smokers / Geriatrics / Elderly
1) Men 65 years of age or older who smoke are twice as likely to die from a stroke.
2) Women smokers are about one and a half times as likely to die from a stroke as their nonsmoking counterparts.
3) The risk of dying from a heart attack is 60 percent higher for smokers than nonsmokers 65 years of age or older.
4) Among the elderly, smokers experience mental decline five times faster than nonsmokers.
5) Among the elderly, smokers have a much higher risk of both Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
6) Older smokers have two to three times the risk of developing cataracts (the leading cause of blindness) compared to nonsmokers.
7) Quitting smoking at any age is beneficial and reduces the negative health risks immediately.
8) Menopause - Women who smoke are known to undergo menopause 1-2 years earlier than women who do not smoke.
Cigar / Pipe Smokers
1) A single large cigar can contain as much tobacco as an entire pack of cigarettes.
2) Most of the same cancer-causing substances found in cigarettes are found in cigars.
3) Most cigars have as much nicotine as several cigarettes.
4) When cigar smokers inhale, nicotine is absorbed as quickly as it is with cigarettes. For those who do not inhale, it is absorbed more slowly through the lining of the mouth. Both inhaled and non-inhaled nicotine are highly addictive.
5) Smoking cigars causes cancers of the lung, oral cavity (lip, tongue, mouth, throat), larynx (voice box), esophagus (swallowing tube), and probably cancers of the bladder and pancreas. Cigar smokers have a greater risk of dying from cancer of the mouth, larynx, or esophagus than non-smokers.
6) Cigar smokers who inhale deeply and smoke several cigars a day are also at increased risk for heart disease and chronic lung disease.
7) Pipe smokers have an increased risk of dying from cancers of the lung, throat, esophagus, larynx, pancreas, and colon and rectum. They also have an increased risk of dying of heart disease, stroke, and chronic lung disease. The level of these risks seems to be about the same as that for cigar smokers.
8) Smoking cigars or pipes is not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes.
Miscellaneous
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) – Risk in getting RA is higher in people who started smoking as a teenager.
Immune system – Antibody response is depressed in smokers. This leads to increased susceptibility to infections and prolonged course fighting an infection.
Surgery / Hospitalization – Smoking increases the risk of unplanned Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admittance. After surgery, smoking increases the risk of postoperative ICU admission.
Increased Aging / Appearance - A 25-30 pack-year history increases physiologic age by 8 years. “Pack-year history” is the number of packs smoked per day multiplied by the number of years smoked. Number of packs smoked per day is your maximum amount smoked per day. If you currently smoke one pack per day but at one point you were up to two packs per day, you would use two packs per day in your calculations. This is because any effects from the two packs per day, in theory, have not been allowed to resolve because of the continuation of smoking. The same thing applies to the number of years of smoking. It is calculated by the time you started smoking to the present day. Even if you stopped smoking temporarily, you still count from the time you started smoking. Unless you stopped for 10-15 years before starting back. Smokers are almost 5 times more likely to develop more, and deeper, wrinkles than are nonsmokers.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus) - a chronic autoimmune disease that can cause inflammation, pain, and tissue damage throughout the body. Smoking cigarettes raises the risk of developing lupus -- but quitting cuts that risk.
Radiation - When you inhale tobacco smoke, radioactive polonium-210 becomes deposited at ‘hot spots’ where your airways branch. There, it delivers damaging radiation directly to surrounding cells. Some scientists have estimated that this radiation is equivalent to getting as much as 300 chest X-rays in a year.
Snoring - Habitual snoring, defined as loud and disturbing snoring at least three nights per week, affected 24% of smokers and 20% of ex-smokers. Also the more people smoked, the more frequently they snored.