January 8, 2007
1 min read
Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAmQuit Smoking
You've heard it before, but it bears repeating
By Charles Q. Choi
Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., Gibbons says. The World Health Organization estimates that in developed countries, roughly a quarter of male deaths and nearly a tenth of female deaths can be attributed to smoking.
Cigarette smoke contains 69 known carcinogens and it increases risks for most forms of cancer, particularly of the lung, kidney, larynx, head, neck, bladder, esophagus, pancreas and stomach. Smoking also increases blood pressure and risk of heart disease as well as decreases good HDL cholesterol. The result is that nearly 160,000 men and women in the U.S. die from cardiovascular disease attributed to smoking every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
"There's also the financial costs," Gibbons notes. "If you figure a pack a day at about $4 a pack, that's nearly $30 a week and some $1,500 a year, not to mention the financial costs associated with the medical problems of smoking."
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