The U.S. Surgeon General has just released How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease, exploring how smoking is responsible for nearly one in every five deaths and costs almost $200 billion in health expenditures and lost productivity per year. The principal message of the report is:
- There is NO risk-free level of exposure to tobacco smoke.
- Smoking leads to DNA damage, bonding of carcinogens to DNA, and cancer growth.
- Smoking damages the delicate lining of the arteries leading to cardiovascular events.
PositiveTip: Stopping smoking is the only way to lessen the severity of tobacco smoke damage.