I was going to write a long, in-depth piece about smoking and found this well done piece. So, I glean from their works.
The Irreversible Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking By Paul H. Brodish, MSPH (Complete Study) http://www.acsh.org/publications/booklets/iesmoke.pdf
"There should be no illusions as to the dangers of cigarettes. The combination of a highly addictive, pharmacologically active substance, nicotine, and an array of noxious chemicals cunningly packaged in a highly efficient delivery mechanism can permanently and drastically affect health. People who smoke for as brief a period as 10 years show a substantially higher rate of death, disease, and disability. Risks to the respiratory system, especially, and risks of cancer continue to plague the ex-smoker for years after quitting. Smokers should not delude themselves that they can smoke safely for 10 to 15 years and then if they are among the lucky few who can quit become as healthy and risk-free as if they had never smoked at all.
This report has been brief much briefer, in fact, than we would have liked. The main reason for that brevity, simply stated, is that there should be much more good, scientific information out there than there is about the real risks ex-smokers face. Almost all of the studies conducted on the health hazards of smoking simply compare smokers with nonsmokers; the studies do not differentiate between never-smokers and ex-smokers. (The risks faced by smokers are well-documented; for a truly comprehensive guide to those risks, see the groundbreaking ACSH book, Cigarettes: What the Warning Label Doesn't Tell You.1)
More controlled studies, studies assessing long-term results in people who have quit smoking at various times in the past are needed. Until such markedly increased risk of developing COPD.
Cancer risk: 75 percent of ex-smokers show DNA changes suggestive of tumor development; 50 percent or more of lung cancers are now being diagnosed in ex-smokers.
Circulatory impairment to the heart, brain, and legs.
Visual impairment and loss. Vocal-cord polyps (growths) and hoarseness. Bone mineral loss (osteoporosis), hip fractures, and spinal arthritis.
Serious health consequences for children born to smoking mothers.
Premature facial wrinkling and graying of the skin after as few as five years of smoking.
This report is intended for everyone smokers, never-smokers, and ex-smokers alike but it is aimed particularly at those who have not yet become addicted to tobacco.
To everyone we say, Remember: Only 20 percent of smokers who try to quit are successful on a long-term basis; for four out of five of those who take up smoking, the very decision to begin is itself irreversible."
Hey,Hey,Paula How it changed my life:This is not meant to criticize, only to teach.
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