Lung cancer is the leading cause of death for men and has just surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of death for women. National Academy of Sciences studies have found that nonsmoking wives of smoking husbands have a 35 percent higher risk of lung cancer compared with women whose husbands don't smoke. Children exposed to tobacco smoke are more likely to be snorers and cough during the night Smokers who quit before age 50 have half the risk of dying in the next 15 years compared with those who continue to smoke.
Smoking is responsible for an estimated one in five U.S. deaths.
The carbon monoxide in the cigarette smoke increases the amount of cholesterol clogging the arteries. Women smokers enter menopause an average of 5 years earlier than nonsmokers. Women who smoke are at an increased risk of osteoporosis. The mobility of sperm is reduced in male smokers. The effectiveness of many medications is greatly reduced in smokers.