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Smoking harms almost every part of the body. Harmful changes begin to take place instantly as the fumes are inhaled, whether you’re smoking or being exposed to secondhand smoke.

Smoking increases the risk of:
  • Coronary heart disease the leading cause of death in the US, by 2 to 4 times
  • Stroke by 2 to 4 times
  • Men developing lung cancer by 25 times
  • Women developing lung cancer by 25.7 times
  • Dying from chronic obstructive lung diseases (such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema) by 12 to 13 times
  • Peripheral vascular disease (i.e., obstruction of the large arteries in the arms and legs that can cause a range of problems from pain to tissue loss or gangrene).
  • Abdominal aortic aneurysm (i.e., a swelling or weakening of the main artery of the body—the aorta—where it runs through the abdomen).
Cancers caused by smoking:
  • Acute myeloid leukemia
  • Bladder cancer
  • Cancer of the cervix
  • Cancer of the esophagus
  • Colon and rectum
  • Kidney cancer
  • Cancer of the larynx (voice box)
  • Liver
  • Lung cancer
  • Cancer of the oral cavity (mouth)
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Cancer of the pharynx (throat)
  • Stomach cancer
Smoking is related to numerous other health problems, including infertility, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, and low bone density that can lead to hip fractures or other bone injuries.

Find out more about what you can do.

Source: Centers for Disease Control