However, McDonnell cautions that overall cancer death rates among cigar smokers are still 34 percent higher than those of nonsmokers and, according to the American Lung Association, people who smoke five or more cigars a day are two to three times more likely to die of lung cancer. Just puffing on a cigar, some of the smoke stays in your mouth and oral cavity. Even more dangerous, McDonnell says, is that cigar smokers get a big dose of their own secondhand smoke each time they light up. According to a report issued by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1992, secondhand smoke kills an estimated 53,000 Americans every year, a significant portion of the more than 400,000 Americans annually who die from tobacco-related diseases.
Studies also indicate that the heat of a burning cigar can be just as dangerous as the smoke.
A 1979 U.S. Surgeon General's Report concluded that the harmful effects of cigar and pipe smoking are concentrated in the mouth and throat areas. In this regard, cigars may be more dangerous than cigarettes because of the larger aperture. The heating element is higher. Wong says smoking also causes resinous stains on the surface of teeth which are more likely to pick up plaque and tartar. After all the progress made in the battle against cigarettes, Wong says he is disturbed by the inroads cigar smoking has made in public acceptance.