How Does Smoking Kill?

Cigarettes contain tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide and 200 other known poisons.

Cigarette smoking accounts for more than 440,000 deaths per year. Smoking cigarettes cause damage to your body and can produce numerous health maladies during chronic use. These health issues include fatty buildups in arteries, several types of cancer and lung issues.

Atherosclerosis

Smoking is a variable of artherosclerosis, or a buildup of fatty substances in the arteries. The PDAY Research Group noted that smoking was associated with more extensive fatty streaks and raised lesions in the abdominal aorta of those who smoked. Atherosclerosis is a primary contributor to the high number of deaths from smoking.

Cancer

Cigarette smoking accounts for up to 30 percent of all cancer deaths and causes an increased risk of the cancers of the lung, larynx, oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, cervix, kidney and bladder cancer. Smoking is responsible for the majority of lung cancer deaths.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, is a term used to describe chronic lung diseases characterized by an increased obstruction of the airflow in and out of the lungs and an increased shortness of breath. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are two conditions that fall under COPD. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health notes that COPD is quickly becoming a global public health issue with smoking being recognized as the primary causative factor.

References

• American Hearth Association: Effects of Serum Lipoproteins and Smoking on Atherosclerosis in Young Men and Women
• American Hearth Association: Cigarette Smoking and Cardiovascular Diseases
• American Cancer Society: Learn About Cancer
• Laniado-Laborín R. Smoking and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Parallel Epidemics of the 21st Century. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2009; 6(1):209-224
• COPD International: COPD Is Not A Death Sentence

Resources

• Center for Young Women's Health: Information About Smoking
• Smoke Free