You've probably heard that using tobacco is unhealthy. But, do you know that smoking cigarettes can damage almost every organ in your body?15 Take a look at some of the diseases and health problems smoking causes 15.
Roll over the boxes to see some of the types of cancer smoking causes.
Roll over the text below to see more health problems smoking causes.
Smoking also damages the immune system, which increases a person's risk of getting infections. And, once they get sick, smokers often take longer to recover than people who don't smoke.15
Chew, dip, snuff, or spit tobacco—it's all smokeless tobacco. But, it's not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes.16 There are health risks with using smokeless tobacco.
Still not convinced it's harmful?
According to the CDC, a high school athlete who used spit tobacco died of oral cancer when he was 19!17Roll over the following text to learn more.
After smoke is inhaled, it only takes 10 seconds for nicotine, an addictive chemical found in tobacco, to reach the brain.15 Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco both contain nicotine. Nicotine is absorbed through the lungs with cigarette smoke, and through the mouth with smokeless tobacco.18 Nicotine affects the brain's reactions18 and narrows a person's blood vessels, making it tougher for the heart to work.17
Young people who smoke cigarettes are likely to be less physically fit and have more respiratory (breathing) problems than people their age who don't smoke.19 Coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and phlegm production are symptoms that young people who use tobacco report they are more likely to experience than non-smoking peers.19
And then there's the issue of addiction, making it difficult to stop doing something.
The younger a person is when he or she starts smoking cigarettes, the more likely he or she is to become addicted to nicotine.19
Most young people who smoke regularly are addicted to nicotine, making it hard for them to quit.19
This is a true statement.
Tobacco causes bad breath and stains your teeth.17 Smoke can make your clothes and hair stink.17
Roll over the following text to learn about secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke is made up of smoke that comes off the burning cigarette and the smoke that the smoker exhales.20 According to the Surgeon General, "there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke: even small amounts of secondhand smoke can be harmful to people's health."20
Visit www.cdc.gov/tobacco for additional information about diseases and health consequences related to tobacco use.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: what it means to you.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2004. Referenced 2012.
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/CDC. Smoking & Tobacco Use. Fact Sheet—Smokeless Tobacco Facts. Referenced 2012.
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/CDC. Smoking & Tobacco Use. Information Sheets. You(th) and Tobacco—What Youth Should Know About Tobacco. Referenced 2012.
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/youth/information-sheet/NIDA for Teens. The Science Behind Drug Abuse. Mind Over Matter: The Brain's Response to Nicotine. Referenced 2009.
https://teens.drugabuse.gov/teachers/mind-matters/nicotineU.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Report Of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 1994. Referenced 2012.
https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/spotlight/nn/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-101584932X619-docU.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General-What is Secondhand Smoke? Referenced 2012.
www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/