Health Risks of Smoking

Smoking is known to be a nasty habit. Cigarettes emit a noxious odor, and their smoke is difficult to remove from clothing and furnishings. Smoking can also ruin the appearance, speeding up the aging process and causing unsightly stains on the fingers, teeth and hair. Though there are many reasons why people shouldn’t smoke, the health risks of smoking are the most important.

Numerous health conditions have been associated with smoking. One of the most commonly known health risks of smoking is cancer. Several types of cancer are commonly developed by smokers, including cancer of the kidneys, mouth, throat and lungs. According to the American Lung Association, smoking accounts for about 90% of fatal lung cancer cases.

Cigarettes are loaded with thousands of chemical compounds, hundreds of which are poisonous. About 60 compounds in cigarettes have been labeled as carcinogens, which are harmful substances which can aggravate the growth of cancerous cells. These dangerous ingredients not only affect cigarette smokers themselves, but can also be inhaled by non-smokers via secondhand smoke. Many non-smokers are diagnosed with lung cancer each year, due to their proximity to cigarette smoke.

In addition to lung cancer, smokers can also inflict other health issues upon non-smokers. Respiratory conditions such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema or COPD can all be caused or aggravated by cigarette smoke. While these conditions are most likely to affect smokers themselves, these health risks of smoking can still greatly compromise the lives of others.

There are numerous health risks of smoking associated with parents and their children. Parents who smoke are especially likely to inflict health conditions on their children. Respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia are very common, as is the development of childhood asthma. Smoking can also affect fertility in both men and women. In men, smoking can reduce sperm counts or the amount of sperm found in the semen. Women who smoke are more likely to contract cervical cancer, and are at risk for early-onset menopause. Pregnant women who smoke can also cause birth defects including low birth weight in their unborn children. Smokers are more likely to suffer miscarriages or stillbirths, ectopic pregnancies, and premature births.

Several other health risks of smoking can greatly compromise quality of life. Leukemia, heart disease, gangrene, osteoporosis, strokes, cataracts, thyroid conditions and a whole laundry list of dangerous health issues are linked to smoking. These issues can best be avoided by never smoking in the first place, but smokers can also reduce their risks by quitting. The negative health risks of smoking can begin to be reversed almost immediately, as the body grows healthy new tissue and no longer has to combat the dangerous poisons found in cigarettes.

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