The Health Costs of Smoking

New Surgeon General's Report Expands List of Diseases Caused by Smoking

"The science is clear: the only way to avoid the health hazards of smoking is to quit completely or to never start smoking."
- U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona

An estimated 440,000 Americans die each year from diseases caused by smoking.
- American Lung Association

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 5,600,000 total years of potential life were lost between years 1995 - 1999. More than two thirds of annual cancer deaths and more than half of deaths from respiratory diseases during this period are directly attributable to smoking.

Nonsmokers exposed to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) have higher death rates from cardiovascular disease than other nonsmokers.

Additional Health Consequences of:

Tobacco Use:
  • A contributing factor for cervical cancer


  • A probable cause of unsuccessful pregnancies


  • Adverse interactions with occupational hazards that increase risk of cancer


  • A probable cause of peptic ulcer disease
ETS:
  • Lung cancer in nonsmokers


  • Higher death rates from cardiovascular disease in nonsmokers


  • Incresed risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)


  • Respiratory tract infections in children


  • Risk factor for new-onset asthma in children who have not previously displayed symptoms
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