Tobacco products contain substances such as tar, nicotine, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, acrolein, nitrosamines, and other carcinogenic and mutagenic substances. Many studies have concluded that smoking tobacco can cause diseases because of these substances.The most common of these diseases is tar lungs. Tar accumulates in the smoker’s lungs. As tar build-up increases, the harder it becomes for the lungs to remove tar. Therefore, the lungs get damaged. And once disease develops, the lungs find another way to expel tar and that is through coughing. Smoker’s cough is another disease common among smokers.

Emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are also related to smoking. Both diseases result from exposure to carbon monoxide and cyanide on long periods of time. Smoking 20 cigarettes a day increases the risk of acquiring tuberculosis by 2 to 4 times.

About 87% of lung cancer cases in the United States are related to smoking. Studies show that people who smoked at some point in their lives have a 1 in 10 chance of developing lung cancer. People who continue smoking increase their risk to 1 in 6. Even passive smokers have a 20 to 30% risk of developing lung cancer!

Ingredients in tobacco products lead to narrowing of blood vessels. This increases the risk of blockage resulting to heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and atherosclerosis. Smokers below 40 years old are 5 times more likely to have a heart attack. While passive smokers have an increased risk of 25 to 30% in developing heart disease!

Even infants develop diseases if their mothers smoked while pregnant. Such diseases are jaundice and breathing problems. In the United States, 430 infants die every year due to sudden infant death syndrome.

Of course, if secondhand smoking can kill, so does active smoking. A smoker’s life expectancy is reduced by 2.5 to 10 years. And each puff of a cigarette is equal to losing 11 minutes of your life! Because of these overwhelming statistics, smoking is now the second major cause of death worldwide!

Do you smoke? I believe these diseases far outweigh the reason why you choose smoking over living a healthy life. Quit now so you can live healthy and longer!

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