University of Pittsburgh - Center for Environemntal Oncology
Sign up to receive the CEO Newsletter
Make a Donation Environmental Oncology News
CEO Newsletter
Newsletter
October 2008
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 

Featured Partners


View all partners




Submitted by swidersj on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 8:20am.

FAQs about Smoking and Related Diseases

The following FAQs describe the health effects of smoking, including tobacco smoke from cigarettes, cigars and pipes, environmental exposure to "second-hand" smoke and smoke from marijuana. It describes the many effects of smoking, especially the major life-threatening effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cancer. It also describes the beneficial effects of quitting smoking, both to the smoker and their family.

Tobacco smoke is a proven human carcinogen and is associated with a number of different cancers, including lung and breast cancer. It also causes chronic lung and cardiovascular diseases.

(National Cancer Institute 2005)

Why should I be concerned?
  • Smoking tobacco remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing more than 440,000 deaths each year and resulting in an annual cost of more than $75 billion in direct medical costs.
  • In 2003, 29.8% of the U.S. population 12 and older - 70.8 million people - used tobacco at least once in the month prior to being interviewed in a national survey. This figure includes 3.6 million people age 12 to 17.
  • Approximately 80% of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18. Every day, nearly 4,000 young people under the age of 18 try their first cigarette.
  • Scientists estimate that environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), also called "secondhand smoke," is responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths per year among adult nonsmokers in the United States.
  • In the United States, it has been estimated that about 7.8 million people age 12 years and older currently use smokeless tobacco.
  • Lung cancer kills more women every year than breast cancer. About 90% of all lung cancer deaths among women are from smoking. Even though we know its effects are harmful, 1 out of every 5 women in the U.S. still smokes. We already know that the best way to prevent lung cancer is to quit (or never start) smoking. The sooner a person quits smoking the better; it's never too late to benefit from quitting.

(CDC Office on Smoking and Health 2007; National Cancer Institute 2007a; National Cancer Institute 2007b; National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 2006a; National Women's Health Information Center 2003; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2003)

What is another major health effect of smoking?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a group of diseases that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is now the fourth leading cause of death in the USA, accounting for over 120,000 deaths annually and costing more than 30 billion dollars per year. It is estimated that over 16 million Americans have COPD.

In this country, more than 85% of COPD is due to smoking tobacco. Smoking-related COPD tends to run in families.

(National Lung Health Education Program 2006)

Why should I quit smoking?
  • You will live longer and feel better.
  • Quitting will lower your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or cancer.
  • The people you live with, especially children, will be healthier. If you are pregnant, you will improve your chances of having a healthy baby.
  • And you will have extra money to spend on things other than cigarettes.

(U.S. Public Health Service 2000)

What differences would I see in my life if I were to quit smoking?

Time Lapse Effect
20 Minutes Blood pressure and pulse drop to normal
8 Hours Carbon monoxide level in blood drops, oxygen level increases
24 Hours Carbon monoxide is eliminated entirely
48 Hours Ability to smell and taste is enhanced
2-21 Weeks Circulation improves
1 Year Heart attack risk halved
10 Years Lung cancer risk halved
15 Years Heart attack risk similar to that of someone who never smoked

(British United Provident Association Limited)

Can smoking cigars and pipes lead to lung cancer?
Yes.
Smoking cigars and pipes also puts you at risk for lung cancer. Cigar and pipe smokers have a higher risk of lung cancer than non-smokers. Even those cigar and pipe smokers who do not inhale are at increased risk for lung, mouth, and other types of cancer.

(NIHSeniorHealth 2007)

Can I be affected by breathing someone else's smoke?
  • Yes.
    The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified secondhand smoke as a Group A carcinogen - a substance known to cause cancer in humans. There is no safe level of exposure to Group A carcinogens, which also include asbestos and benzene.
  • Secondhand smoke is the third- leading preventable cause of death in America, killing 53,000 nonsmokers each year.
  • Smoke from the tip of a cigarette has 20 times the carcinogens as the smoke inhaled by a smoker.
  • There is clear scientific evidence of an increased risk of lung cancer in non-smokers exposed to "second-hand" smoke. This increased risk is estimated at 20% in women and 30% in men who live with a smoker.
  • Similarly, it has been shown that non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke in the workplace have a 16 to 19% increased risk of developing lung cancer. The risk of developing lung cancer increases with the degree of exposure. The California Environmental Protection Agency estimates that second-hand smoke causes 3000 deaths each year due to lung cancer in non-smokers.
  • Non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke have a 25 to 35% increased risk of suffering acute coronary diseases.

(Consumer Reports 1995; Glantz and Parmley 1991; World Health Organization Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI))

What are the effects of second-hand smoke on children's health?

Small children whose parents smoke at home have an increased risk of suffering lower respiratory tract and inner ear infections. Second-hand smoke is also linked to an increase in the number and severity of asthma episodes in asthmatic children. There is also evidence that second-hand smoke increases the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

It is well known that exposures, such as tobacco smoke, can cause damage to DNA, the genetic material, which, if it is not repaired, becomes an irreversible "mutation." Accumulation of such mutations occurs with age and leads to diseases of aging, such as cancer. Thus, a child who experiences mutagenic exposure in the womb caused by the mother who smokes or is living in a home with a partner that smokes might begin life with a greater lifetime risk of developing cancer or at a greater risk of developing cancer at an early age.

(World Health Organization Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI))

How can smoking tobacco affect my oral health?

Smoking damages a smoker's mouth, gums and teeth and can lead to tooth staining, gum disease, tooth loss and in more severe cases, mouth cancer. Smoking is the most common cause of mouth cancer, and can increase your risk of developing the condition by several times.

In addition, many people who drink alcohol also smoke cigarettes. Because alcohol helps tobacco to absorb into the mouth, people who smoke and drink to excess are up to 30 times more likely to develop the condition.

(British Dental Health Foundation 2005)

What about smoking marijuana?
  • Marijuana and cigarette smoke contain as many as 50 of the same cancer-causing substances.
  • Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency to obstructed airways.
  • Smoking marijuana possibly increases the likelihood of developing cancer of the head or neck.
  • Marijuana abuse also has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke.
  • The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Some of marijuana's adverse health effects may occur because THC impairs the immune system's ability to fight disease. These facts suggest that, puff for puff, smoking marijuana may be more harmful to the lungs than smoking tobacco.

(Adams and Martin 1996; Cohen 1981; Friedman, Newton, Klein 2003; Hoffmann and others 1975; National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 2006b; Sridhar and others 1994; Tashkin 1990; Zhang and others 1999; Zhu and others 2000)

Is using smokeless tobacco safer than smoking cigarettes?
  • Smokeless tobacco contains 28 cancer-causing agents. It is a known cause of human cancer, specifically cancers of the oral cavity.
  • Oral health problems strongly associated with smokeless tobacco use are leukoplakia (a lesion of the soft tissue that consists of a white patch or plaque that cannot be scraped off) and recession of the gums.
  • Smokeless tobacco use can lead to nicotine addiction and dependence. The amount of nicotine absorbed from smokeless tobacco is 3 to 4 times the amount delivered by a cigarette.
  • Contrastingly: Using smokeless tobacco, instead of smoking cigarettes, does not cause harm to anyone beside the user (as opposed to the environmental tobacco smoke created by smoking cigarettes).
  • The best choice is to stop using any tobacco product. Click here to view a guide designed to help you quit using smokeless tobacco provided by the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research.

(National Cancer Institute 2003)

References

To inquire about Center for Environmental Oncology activities, please send an e-mail to envonc@upmc.edu or call 412-623-3375.

‹ RadiationupWater Pollution ›