Smoked Out: Tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S.
If there is any question that cigarettes are one of the most lethal consumer products ever created, the American Lung Association points out that there are approximately 600 ingredients in a cigarette that, when burned, create more than 7,000 chemicals. Many of these ingredients are also found in other products, and because of their potential to harm living things are typically called out with stern warning labels. These include butane (lighter fluid), acetone (nail polish remover), lead (batteries) and arsenic (rat poison).
With such a toxic cocktail concentrated into a single consumable product, health issues go far beyond the well-known primary dangers — lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease. Tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable disease, disability and death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the list of health repercussions that can be caused by smoking extends into many aspects of life.
Type 2 Diabetes
According to the CDC, smokers are 30% to 40% more likely than non-smokers to develop Type 2 diabetes. The CDC notes Type 2 diabetics who smoke are more likely than non-smokers to have trouble with insulin-dosing and controlling the disease. Moreover, this group has a higher risk for developing serious complications, including:
- Heart disease and kidney disease
- Poor blood flow, which can lead to infections, ulcers and amputation
- Retinopathy
- Damaged nerves in the arms and legs
Addiction
Most of the health impacts of smoking focus on physical impacts to the body, but nicotine — the psychoactive substance in tobacco — is addictive, and powerfully so. When nicotine enters the bloodstream it triggers an increase in adrenaline levels. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) explains that nicotine also activates the brain’s reward system by increasing dopamine levels. This cycle, repeated enough times, results in addiction. Attempts to quit, according to the NIH, can trigger withdrawal symptoms, including:
- Irritability
- Problems paying attention
- Difficulty sleeping
- Increased appetite
- Powerful cravings for tobacco
Pregnancy Complications
When a pregnant woman smokes or is exposed to second-hand smoke, the fetus is exposed to the same collection of chemicals and nicotine, resulting in an increased risk of extensive pregnancy complications and birth defects. The CDC reports that women who smoke have more difficulty becoming pregnant, put their fetuses at risk of tissue damage —particularly in the lung and brain — and increase the risk of a miscarriage or pre-term delivery. Newborns of mothers who smoke have a greater risk of low birth weight and developing weaker lungs, and are three times more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Environmental Contamination
The University of California Berkeley’s University Health Sciences reports that cigarette filters are made of plastic fibers and are the single largest source of plastic pollution. Not only are these filters not biodegradable, but they also leach toxic compounds into the environment and enter the food chain. Discarded butts have also been linked to wildfires. The Truth Initiative, America’s largest nonprofit dedicated to ending smoking and nicotine use, point out that cigarette butts are both the most littered item in America and worldwide, with 4.5 trillion discarded each year.