Cigarette Smoking and Disease in Smokers
Cigarette smoking causes serious and fatal diseases.
There is no safe cigarette.
The Surgeon General has concluded that no cigarette is “safer” or less hazardous than any other cigarette.
The only way to avoid the health effects of cigarette smoking is to not smoke.
The diseases caused by cigarette smoking include lung cancer, laryngeal (voice box) cancer, oral cavity (mouth) cancer, pharyngeal (throat) cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer, renal (kidney) cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis (including peripheral vascular disease), cerebrovascular disease (stroke), abdominal aortic aneurysm, acute respiratory illness (including pneumonia), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (including emphysema and chronic bronchitis), respiratory symptoms in adults, adolescents and children (including coughing, phlegm, wheezing and dyspnea (shortness of breath)), asthma-related symptoms in early childhood and adolescence, poor asthma control, impaired lung function growth during childhood and adolescence, early onset of lung function decline during late adolescence or early adulthood, premature onset of and an accelerated age-related decline in lung function, diminished health status, increased risks for adverse surgical outcomes related to wound healing and respiratory complications, and periodontitis.
In addition to the diseases above, the Surgeon General has also concluded that cigarette smoking causes cervical cancer, gastric (stomach) cancer, hip fractures, low bone density in postmenopausal women, nuclear cataracts and peptic ulcer disease in persons who are Helicobacter pylori positive.
CIGARETTE SMOKING AND PREGNANCY/REPRODUCTIVE EFFECTS
Smoking cigarettes before or during pregnancy can have adverse reproductive effects and can harm your baby.
The Surgeon General has concluded that smoking during pregnancy causes reduction of lung function in infants, premature rupture of the membranes, placenta previa and placental abruption, preterm delivery and shortened gestation, fetal growth restriction and low birth weight.
The Surgeon General has also concluded that smoking before pregnancy causes reduced fertility in women and that smoking during and after pregnancy causes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
HEALTH WARNINGS
All cigarette packages have displayed health warnings since 1966.
From January 1, 1966 through October 31, 1970, as required by the Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act of 1965, the following health warning appeared on all cigarette packages:
Caution: Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous To Your Health
From November 1, 1970 through October 11, 1985, the Public Health Smoking Act of 1969 required all cigarette packages to display the following health warning:
Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous To Your Health
Since October 12, 1985, the Comprehensive Smoking Education Act of 1984 required the following health warnings on all packages of cigarettes, on a quarterly rotating basis:
SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy.
SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks To Your Health.
SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result In Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight.
SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, signed into law on June 22, 2009, provides that the following warnings will be placed on all cigarette packages beginning 15 months after the FDA issues required regulations:
WARNING: Cigarettes are addictive.
WARNING: Tobacco smoke can harm your children.
WARNING: Cigarettes cause fatal lung disease.
WARNING: Cigarettes cause cancer.
WARNING: Cigarettes cause strokes and heart disease.
WARNING: Smoking during pregnancy can harm your baby.
WARNING: Smoking can kill you.
WARNING: Tobacco smoke causes fatal lung disease in nonsmokers.
WARNING: Quitting smoking now greatly reduces serious risks to your health.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Reports of the Surgeon General at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/index.html
National Institute of Health (NIH) at: http://health.nih.gov/topic/Smoking
National Cancer Institute at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/tobacco/smoking
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data-statistics/index.html
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at: http://monographs.iarc.fr/eng/monographs/vol83/volume83pdf
American Cancer Society at: http://www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfrom tobacco/index?sitearea=PED
American Heart Association at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/QuitSmoking/Quit-Smoking_UCM_001085_subhomepage.jsp
American Lung Association at: http://www.lungusa.org/stop_smoking
Lorillard provides these links for your convenience and to assist you in obtaining information from the Surgeon General and other public health authorities on the health effects of cigarette smoking. Lorillard is not responsible for the content of these websites. Lorillard may not agree with all of the statements contained on these websites, but you should nonetheless rely on information from your personal physicians and other medical providers, the Surgeon General and other public health authorities and not Lorillard for information regarding the health effects of cigarette smoking.