There are currently over 34 million smokers in the United States, although it is a known fact that smoking tobacco is one of the unhealthiest habits a person can have. Furthermore, approximately 16 million individuals are struggling with diseases caused by tobacco smoking, such as lung cancer and throat cancer. A sliver of hope is that financial compensation can be recovered from the liable manufacturers.
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If you intend to quit smoking, whether you suffer from a disease or not, this article is for you, as it may further motivate you to break the habit once and for all. The following are 10 shocking facts about smoking and how it impacts your health.
1. Lung Cancer Is Not the Only Malignant Disease Smoking Can Lead To
While between 10% and 15% of smokers will develop lung cancer, this disease is not the only malignancy tobacco use can lead to. Other malignant diseases that smoking tobacco can cause include:
- bladder cancer
- colorectal cancer
- liver cancer
- esophageal cancer
- pancreatic cancer
- stomach cancer
These are only a few of the numerous types of cancer someone can develop as a result of using tobacco. According to estimates, people who smoke are 15 to 30 times more susceptible to developing lung cancer than nonsmokers.
2. Every Five Seconds, Someone Dies of a Disease Related to Smoking
Throughout the world, 8 million people lose their lives to diseases caused by tobacco smoking annually. This means that every five seconds, someone dies as a consequence of their unhealthy habit. In the United States, 1 out of 5 deaths is the result of tobacco smoking.
3. Smoking Will Take Away 13 Years from Your Life
According to medical studies, you will live 13 years less if you are a smoker. However, it is important to note that this applies particularly to heavy smokers, meaning to people who smoke 25 or more cigarettes a day.
4. Using Tobacco Increases Your Risk of Heart Disease by 200% to 400%
The risk of coronary disease and stroke can increase by as much as 200% to 400% in people who smoke. Nearly 20% of deaths attributed to heart disease that occur every year in the country are the result of tobacco smoking.
5. Five Cigarettes Contain Enough Nicotine to Kill a Person
Nicotine, the substance that makes cigarettes so addictive, is present in a regular cigarette in a concentration of 6 to 12 milligrams. Nevertheless, the majority of smokers inhale only 1 to 2 milligrams of nicotine per cigarette when they engage in this habit. If you were to ingest 5 whole cigarettes, they would contain enough nicotine to kill you, as nicotine is also highly poisonous.
6. Tobacco Smoke Contains Over 7,000 Chemicals
While the manufacturing of a single cigarette requires a shocking number of 600 ingredients, lighting it up releases over 7,000 chemicals in the air, out of which 250 are harmful to our bodies. Furthermore, 69 of these 250 dangerous substances are known carcinogens, which means that they contribute to the development of malignant diseases over the years.
7. Cigarettes Have Benzene, Which Is a Major Cause of Leukemia
Benzene is a chemical that is also found in rubber, cement, and gasoline. It is a known carcinogen. This substance is present in considerable amounts in cigarettes and regular exposure to it may lead to acute myeloid leukemia. Up to 90% of benzene exposure in smokers throughout the United States comes from smoking tobacco.
8. Radioactive Elements Are Also Found in a Regular Cigarette
A regular cigarette contains radioactive lead, polonium, as well as hydrogen cyanide. The latter chemical was used in World War II as a genocidal agent. Thereby, inhaling these dangerous chemicals from cigarettes regularly could eventually lead to a health problem if the person fails to quit in a timely manner.
9. Exposure to Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Kills 1.2 Million People Every Year
Throughout the world, over 8 million people lose their lives every year to diseases caused by tobacco smoking. However, secondhand cigarette smoke contains the same amount of toxic chemicals and can thereby kill as well. It is estimated that 1.2 million people die of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke annually worldwide. This should make you think twice if you feel the need to smoke around other people.
10. Half of All Smokers Will Die as a Consequence of Their Habit
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 50% of all smokers worldwide will eventually die as a result of their unhealthy habits. Since tobacco smoking is correlated with so many diseases and conditions, many of which fatal, this should not be surprising.
Author bio:
With over 35 years of experience in evaluating product liability claims, Miguel Leyva and the team at Atraxia Law help people injured by unsafe products recover the financial compensation they deserve for their suffering. A tobacco product liability claim can be complex and challenging but can result in recovering necessary damages for medical treatments.