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