This too should be part of our response to smoking, both within the church community and outside it. Tobacco smoke contains at least 50 known toxic or cancer forming substances. Smoking is linked to cancer of the lung, mouth, larynx and oesophagus. Nine out of ten lung cancer deaths are due to smoking. Lung cancer deaths are higher than any other type of cancer.
Smoking helps promote cancers of the bladder, pancreas, kidney, stomach and cervix.
Nine out of ten deaths from bronchitis and emphysema are due to smoking. Women who smoke have a greater risk of infertility, miscarriage, premature labour, still birth, early neonatal deaths, earlier menopause and osteoporosis. Smoking while using oral contraceptives increases the risk of heart disease and stroke by at least 10 times. Around eight out of ten heart attacks in men under 45 are associated with smoking. Arterial disease is associated with smoking and kills more people than cancer does.