| Cigarette use, currently considered one of | | | | risk of infectious disease resulting from |
| the most pressing public health problems | | | | pipe sharing, and other risks associated with |
| worldwide, has become increasingly | | | | the common addition of other psychoactive |
| concentrated among economically and socially | | | | drugs to the tobacco. Cigarette smoking |
| disadvantaged segments of the population, as | | | | accounts for at least 30% of all cancer |
| well as among younger persons. Smoking and | | | | deaths. It is a major cause of cancers of |
| risk of fatal breast cancer. Cigarette | | | | the lung, larynx (voice box),oral cavity, |
| smoking continues to be more common among | | | | pharynx (throat), esophagus, and bladder, and |
| adults aged 20 to 34 than among other age | | | | is a contributing cause in the development of |
| groups. The term cigarette, as commonly | | | | cancers of the pancreas,cervix, kidney, |
| used, refers to a tobacco cigarette but can | | | | stomach, and also some leukemias. About 87% |
| apply to similar devices containing other | | | | of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. |
| herbs, such as cannabis. The use of tobacco | | | | Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer |
| in cigarette form became increasingly popular | | | | death among both men and women,and is one of |
| during and after the Crimean War. | | | | the most difficult cancers to treat. |
| | | | Fortunately, lung cancer is largely a |
| Risk | | | | preventable disease. |
| | | | |
| Risks vary according to amount of tobacco | | | | Public |
| smoked, with those who smoke more at greater | | | | |
| risk. In addition to the cancer risk, there | | | | Many governments now restrict or ban smoking |
| is some risk of infectious disease resulting | | | | in a variety of public venues over concerns |
| from pipe sharing, and other risks associated | | | | of second-hand smoke, and possibly also to |
| with the common addition of other | | | | discourage tobacco use in general. The |
| psychoactive drugs to the tobacco. A year | | | | tobacco used is grown throughout the |
| after quitting, the risk of contracting heart | | | | Caribbean in places such as the Dominican |
| disease is half that of a continuing smoker. | | | | Republic, Honduras, Jamaica, and Cuba. In |
| Light smoking is still a health risk. | | | | countries where there is a public health |
| Smoking is the single largest modifiable risk | | | | system, society pays for the medical care of |
| factor in intrauterine growth retardation. | | | | smokers who become ill through increased |
| If the cell cannot repair its DNA damage | | | | taxes. In national and state polls across |
| prior to undergoing mitotic division, the | | | | the country, there is overwhelming public |
| daughter cells carry a greater risk of | | | | support for tobacco tax increases. |
| becoming carcinogenic. Some researchers have | | | | |
| estimated that polonium 210 carries a cancer | | | | Cigarettes and second hand smoke are |
| risk of 4 per 10000 smokers unreliable | | | | dangerous. They offer people only a |
| source. Smoking contributes to the risk of | | | | multitude of smoking-related diseases and |
| developing heart disease. All these factors | | | | ultimately death. During the second half of |
| make smokers more at risk of developing | | | | the 20th century, the adverse health effects |
| various forms of arteriosclerosis. | | | | of cigarettes started to become widely known |
| | | | and text-only health warnings became |
| Cancer | | | | commonplace on packets. Several serious |
| | | | negative health effects are linked to hookah |
| Cigarettes are proven to be highly addictive, | | | | smoking and studies indicate that it is |
| as well as a cause of multiple types of | | | | likely to be more harmful to health than |
| cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, | | | | cigarettes, due in part to the volume of |
| circulatory disease and birth defects. In | | | | smoke inhaled. |
| addition to the cancer risk, there is some | | | | |