Thank you for smoking
Bulletin Board
By Sophia Brancazio
Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
Thank you
for smoking
Smoking Harms Every Organ
in the Body.
• The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an
estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths,
each year in the United States.
• More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all
deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug
use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders
combined.
• Smoking causes an estimated 90% of all lung cancer deaths in
men and 80% of all lung cancer deaths in women.
• An estimated 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung
disease are caused by smoking.
Compared with nonsmokers, smoking
is estimated to increase the risk of—
•
•
•
•
coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times
stroke by 2 to 4 times
men developing lung cancer by 23 times
women developing lung cancer by 13 times,
and
• dying from chronic obstructive lung
diseases (such as chronic bronchitis and
emphysema) by 12 to 13 times.
SMOKING has been
related to Cancer…
•
•
•
•
•
•
Acute myeloid leukemia
Bladder cancer
Cancer of the cervix
Cancer of the esophagus
Kidney cancer
Cancer of the larynx
(voice box)
• Lung cancer
• Cancer of the oral cavity
(mouth)
• Cancer of the pharynx
(throat)
• Stomach cancer
• Cancer of the uterus
Smoking and Cardiovascular
Disease
• Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading
cause of death in the United States.
• Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by
narrowing the blood vessels (arteries) and puts
smokers at risk of developing peripheral vascular
disease (i.e., obstruction of the large arteries in the
arms and legs that can cause a range of problems from
pain to tissue loss or gangrene).
• Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm (i.e., a
swelling or weakening of the main artery of the body—
the aorta—where it runs through the abdomen).
Smoking and Respiratory
Disease
• Smoking causes lung cancer.
• Smoking causes lung diseases (e.g.,
emphysema, bronchitis, chronic
airway obstruction) by damaging the
airways and alveoli (i.e., small air
sacs) of the lungs.
Second Hand Smoke
Secondhand smoke causes other kinds of diseases and
deaths, each year in the US it causes:
• An estimated 46,000 deaths from heart disease in people
who are currently non-smokers
• About 3,400 lung cancer deaths as a result of breathing
secondhand smoke
• Other breathing problems in non-smokers, including
coughing, mucus, chest discomfort, and reduced lung
function
• 50,000 to 300,000 lung infections
• Increases in the number and severity of asthma attacks
• More than 750,000 middle ear infections
Smoking: The Financial
Burden
• Although cigarette prices range per state and
community, the average price of a pack of
cigarettes is $5. If a person smokes a pack
each day, this translates into nearly $2,000
each year.
• Insurance premiums for a smoker tend to be
25 to 35 percent higher than the non-smoker's
insurance premium.
Tips for quitting:
• There are several methods you can use to quit
smoking. You can gradually reduce the number of
cigarettes you smoke, or use a quitting aid like a
patch or nicotine gum, for example. Here are some
tips that can help you in the process too:
• Set a quit date.
• Tell your friends and family that you are quitting.
• Find other things to do when you get the urge to
smoke.
• Carry things to put in your mouth like gum or mints.
• Keep healthy snacks to munch on, like apple slices
and carrot sticks.
Think before you smoke.
Not just about you, but about your community.