Virtual Medical Centre

Dangers of Cigarette Smoking

• What's in a cigarette?
• The health effects of tobacco smoke
• Smoking cost calculator

What's in a cigarette?

Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 different chemical compounds. Many of these are toxic, and at least 43 are known carcinogens (cancer-causing agents). 

• Nicotine is the active drug in tobacco smoke - it is the chemical that causes addiction. In combination with carbon monoxide, nicotine is also responsible for reducing blood flow to your feet and hands, causing peripheral vascular disease which over time may lead to the need for amputation.
• Carbon Monoxide, the same chemical found in car exhaust, causes damage to the lungs. It increases stress on the heart by depriving the body of oxygen.
• Tar is made up of a number of chemicals, including several carcinogens (cancer-causing agents).

The health effects of tobacco smoke

The chemicals in cigarette smoke can increase your risk of developing a number of diseases, including cancer. In Australia, around 19,000 smokers die each year from diseases caused by their smoking. One in two smokers will die of a smoking related disease.

Some of the health risks of cigarette smoking include:

• Lung cancer: tobacco smoke is the largest single cause of lung cancer. Tobacco smoking is responsible for 90% of lung cancers in Australian males and 65% of lung cancers in Australian women.
• Other cancers: tobacco smoke is known to increase the risk of developing cancers of the lips, mouth, tongue, throat, voicebox, oesophagus (gullet), bladder, pancreas, liver, cervix, vulva, penis and anus. Cigarette smoking has also been linked to cancers of the stomach, kidney and some leukaemias (cancers of the blood).
• Other lung diseases, including emphysema and pneumonia
• Coronary heart disease
• Peripheral vascular disease (diseases of the arteries and veins of the limbs)
• Male impotence, reduced fertility
• In women: premature menopause, irregular or painful periods
• Effects on the bones and joints: osteoporosis, arthritis
• Effects on the eyes: macular degeneration
• Effects on the skin: wrinkles, signs of ageing, wound infections, hair loss

In addition to these personal health effects, cigarette smoking is a health risk to others around you.

• Women who smoke during pregnancy have an increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and of delivering a low birthweight baby
• Children who are exposed to tobacco smoke have increased risk of respiratory infections, middle ear infections, meningococcal infection, asthma attacks, and SIDS (cot death)
• Adults exposed to environmental tobacco smoke are at increased risk of developing lung cancer and heart disease.

However, despite numerous public health campaigns, tobacco smoking remains a significant problem in Australia: one in five Australians aged 14 or over smoke on a daily or weekly basis.

Smoking Cost Calculator

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Article Dates:

Created: 15/4/2005

Modified: 24/7/2009

Reviewed: 1/4/2007