According to the American Lung Association, cigarette smoking is the most important source of preventable morbidity (illness and disease) and premature mortality (death) throughout the world. An estimated number of 443,000 American lives have been claimed by smoking-related diseases each year. This includes individuals indirectly affected, such as babies born prematurely.
The American Lung Association has gathered a number of important facts that provide a glimpse of smoking's health hazards, prevalence, and quitting smoking.
Smoking Health Hazards
- Cigarette smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. Smoking is directly responsible for approximately 90 percent of lung cancer deaths and approximately 80-90 percent of COPD (emphysema and chronic bronchitis) deaths.
- About 8.6 million people in the U.S. have at least one serious illness caused by smoking. That means that for every person who dies of a smoking-related disease, there are 20 more people who suffer from at least one serious illness associated with smoking.
- Among current smokers, chronic lung disease accounts for 73 percent of smoking-related conditions. Even among smokers who have quit chronic lung disease accounts for 50 percent of smoking-related conditions.
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Smoking Prevalence
- In 2009, an estimated 46.6 million, or 20.6% of adults (aged 18+) were current smokers. The annual prevalence of smoking declined more than 50 percent between 1965 and 2009.
- Males tend to have significantly higher rates of smoking prevalence than females. In 2009, 23.5 percent of males currently smoked compared to 17.9 percent of females.
Quitting Smoking
- Nicotine is an addictive drug, which when inhaled in cigarette smoke reaches the brain faster than drugs that enter the body intravenously. Smokers not only become physically addicted to nicotine; they also link smoking with many social activities, making smoking a difficult habit to break.
- Quitting smoking often requires multiple attempts. Using counseling or medication alone increases the chance of a quit attempt being successful; the combination of both is even more effective.
