This statement is as true today as it was in 1982. Because cigarette smoking and tobacco use is an acquired behavior, one that the individual chooses to do, smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death in our society. Cigarettes kill more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs. Cigarette smoking is a major cause of cancers of the lung, larynx, oral cavity, pharynx and esophagus and is a contributing cause in the development of cancers of the bladder, pancreas, uterine, cervix, kidney, stomach, and some leukemias.
Lung cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat.
It is very difficult to detect when it is in the earliest, most treatable stage. Fortunately, lung cancer is largely a preventable disease. Smoking is a major cause of heart disease, bronchitis, emphysema, and stroke and contributes to the severity of colds and pneumonia. Tobacco has a damaging affect on women's reproductive health and is associated with increased risk of miscarriage, preterm delivery, stillbirth, and infant death, and is a cause of low birth weight in infants. Furthermore, the smoke from cigarettes has a harmful health effect on those around the smoke.