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Cancer was one of the first diseases to be
linked with smoking. Earlier it was only lung cancer which was
associated with smoking but now there are many types of cancer which are
caused by smoking. Cancer is the second leading cause of death among
Americans. Each year, more than half a million people die due to cancer,
that is, one out of every four deaths is caused by smoking.
The many types of cancer which came to be known in the recent
years are stomach cancer, cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer, kidney
cancer and alike, apart from usual bladder, laryngeal, oral, throat and
lung cancers.
The most prominent and earliest known is, lung
cancer. Lung cancer is the prime cause of death among both male and
female smokers. Tobacco smoke causes 87 % of the lung cancer deaths,
according to a study.
Smoking is responsible for cancers of the
larynx, oral cavity and esophagus. The effects of tobacco smoke on
smokers and nonsmokers as a carcinogenic substance are beyond doubt.
Exposure
to secondhand smoke or passive smoke or environmental tobacco smoke
significantly increases a nonsmoker's proximity to develop cancer,
especially lung cancer. It is the cause of significant number of lung
cancer deaths every year. Secondhand smoke is also responsible for
respiratory infections among a large number of children.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified second
hand smoke as a Group-A carcinogen, a category reserved for the most
dangerous cancer causing agents. So, what is it that is present in the
tobacco smoke that causes cancer? It is known that tobacco smoke
contains more than 4000 chemicals, 60 of them are known to cause cancer
in humans. It also contains harmful substances like carbon monoxide,
arsenic, tar and lead which are poisonous and toxic to the human body.
Smokers who quit, live longer than a person who continues to
smoke cigarettes. Quitting smoking reduces a person's risk of dying from
smoking-related diseases and other diseases. In addition, quitting
smoking can reduce a person's risk of developing heart disease and
stroke.
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