WHO: Smoking responsible for death of 5 million every year

Smoking tobacco is responsible for approximately five million deaths annually, 25 different diseases and is a contributory factor to many more deaths via passive smoking – according to the WHO’s latest report (November 2010). The report concluded that smoking is a greater cause of death and disability than any single disease.

When a smoker inhales they ingest smoke containing about 4,000 different chemicals, each of which are injurious to the cells and systems of the human body. The WHO’s latest study found that these ‘ include at least 80 chemicals that can cause cancer (including tar, arsenic, benzene, cadmium and formaldehyde) nicotine (a highly addictive chemical which hooks a smoker into their habit) and hundreds of other poisons such as cyanide, carbon monoxide and ammonia’.

Extensive research has established how cigarette smoking damages the body. UK studies show that smokers in their 30s and 40s are five times more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers, for instance.

Smoking is a contributory factor in coronary artery disease where the heart’s blood supply becomes narrowed or blocked, reducing availability of nutrients and oxygen to the heart muscle resulting in a heart attack. Smokers face greatly increased risk of undergoing complex heart bypass surgery. They also face increased incidence of stroke due to damage to the heart and to arteries leading to the brain.

It’s estimated that a life-long smoker has a 50 per cent chance of suffering a premature smoking-related death and that half of these deaths will be in middle age.

Smoking clearly does enormous damage to the lungs – more than 20,000 people in the UK every year die from lung cancer. Studies in North America indicate men who smoke increase their chances of dying from the disease by more than 22 times, women by nearly 12 times.

Smokers also suffer an extremely high incidence of a group of chronic debilitating lung conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Smoking in pregnancy brings another raft of problems including increased risk of miscarriage, lower birth weight babies, and arguably, inhibited child development.

Following the birth, smoking by parents is associated with sudden infant death syndrome, and increased rates of infant respiratory illness.

Although it’s accepted that the health risks of smoking are cumulative, giving up the habit yields results at any age; our bodies go into harm reduction and repair mode as soon as the habit ceases.

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