Smoking causes lung cancer as well as cancer of the mouth and tongue, throat, larynx, esophagus and trachea. These cancers take many years to develop, and are rare under the age of forty. A person who has had a lung cancer also has an increased risk of developing a second cancer of the mouth, tongue, pharynx, larynx and esophagus. Smokers also have a much higher risk of cardiovascular illness than non- smokers, including heart attack, peripheral vascular disease and stroke. In sum total, cigarette smoking results in the premature death of at least 430,000 Americans each year, with an average of 10 years of productive life lost per person.
Many millions die worldwide.