The Surgeon General has called cigarette smoking "...the leading preventable cause of disease and deaths in the United States." The habit can cause serious damage to the body extending well beyond chronic coughing and wheezing. Among the potentially life-threatening health problems associated with smoking are lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease, diabetes and pregnancy issues.

Up to 90 percent of all cases of lung cancer are related to smoking, and lung cancer ends the lives of more men and women in the United States than any other type of cancer. Carcinogens present in tobacco smoke (more than 60) damage cells in the lungs. These cells can eventually become cancerous. The longer a person smokes and the more he or she smokes determines the degree of risk for the disease. A pack-a-day smoker is twenty times more likely to develop lung cancer compared to a nonsmoker. Living with a smoker increases the risk two to three times. Women who smoke or who are consistently exposed to secondhand smoke appear to be at greater risk from the harmful chemicals in tobacco.

The National Emphysema Foundation estimates that about 100,000 people die each year from emphysema, with approximately 90 percent of those deaths attributed to smoking. Emphysema is a degenerative condition that develops over time. Toxins in cigarette smoke, as well as those in the air, harm the cilia (bronchial tubes responsible for keeping irritating substances and germs out of air passages). Smoking can cause the small air sacs in the lungs to lose their elasticity. Exhaling becomes harder because air gets trapped in the lungs, which reduces their ability to effectively make the fresh air exchange. Breathing difficulties become worse as time goes on.

Cigarette smoking is responsible for about 30 percent of all deaths from heart disease in the United States. The link between smoking and heart problems is directly traceable to nicotine, which causes:

• Less oxygen traveling to the heart
• Increases in blood pressure and heart rate
• Decreased tolerance for exercise
• Decreased HDL (good cholesterol)
• Heightened risk of developing heart disease
• Increased blood clotting
• Damage to coronary arteries and other blood vessels

Breaking the smoking habit is beneficial for those who have diabetes or who want to avoid the disorder. A disease of the pancreas, diabetes occurs when insulin is not manufactured in sufficient amounts or does not function properly. The most prevalent type of diabetes (type 2, or adult onset) is a condition in which the body has enough insulin, in fact too much, but cannot use it properly - leading to high blood sugar levels. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can cause eye disease, kidney disease, heart disease and nerve disease. According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, a person who smokes 16 to 25 cigarettes a day is three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than a nonsmoker. The danger is greater when the individual has other diabetes risk factors, such as family history of the disease, obesity, hypertension or elevated cholesterol.

Cigarette smoking during pregnancy can cause serious health problems for both mother and child. Pregnancy complications, pre-term births, low birth-weight newborns, stillbirths and infant deaths are associated with the effects of smoking. The mother can pass nicotine and carbon monoxide through the placenta to her infant. These poisons can keep the unborn baby from getting the food and oxygen needed for growth. Babies born of smoking mothers are more likely to develop health problems, such as colds, coughs, bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma and middle ear problems.

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