"The British Medical Association said that the confined environment in automobiles exposes drivers and passengers to 23 times more toxins than a smokey bar."

Many areas of the world currently have bans preventing smokers from lighting up in restaurants and bars, on public sidewalks and plazas, in some condos and multifamily housing units, and in public transportation vehicles. Some communities have banned the use of cigarettes in private vehicles where children are present. In the United States, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, and Oregon current prohibit smoking in vehicles with more bans proposed across the country.

The number of toxic chemicals emitted due to the combustion process that occurs when cigarettes burn cause a variety of health problems including crippling lung diseases and cancer. Eliminating some 4,000 toxic chemicals and at least 40 known carcinogens from the air and surfaces is aimed at protecting those who do not smoke, including the youngest population of the world. Continue Reading

Contrary to Popular Belief, Cigarettes Damage the Body in Minutes, Not Years.

Tobacco grown and harvested is dried and cut, then processed into various products including dip, snuff, and cigarettes. Cigarettes are paper-rolled and available in filtered and non-filtered versions. The greatest toxicity of cigarettes stems from the smoke inhaled after lighting the non-filter end of the product. The chemicals contained in the smoke have been counted for years as technology has advanced and have recently been quoted as stretching above 5,000 with over 40 of those chemicals known to be cancer-causing. Previously noted, it would take years before damage to the body would occur by smoking. However, a recent study published in Cancer Research in Toxicology shows that chemicals which cause cancer form rapidly after smoking.

The long term effect of smoking including heart disease, lung disease, stroke, and a long list of cancers, among others, is well Continue Reading

Tobacco companies knew for over 40 years that cigarettes contained a radioactive substance, Polonium-210, a new study of historical documents revealed.

Scientists from the University of California in Los Angeles reviewed 27 documents released by tobacco companies that were not previously analyzed. The findings are shocking.

The study's lead author, Hrayr Karagueuzian said the companies' level of deception surprised him.

Tobacco companies knew of radioactive properties found in cigarettes as early as 1959. Not only were they aware of the dangers, they tested and found that snakes developed lung cancer as a result of exposure to Polonium-210. Continue Reading

Approximately 90 per cent of lung cancer cases are attributed to smoking. Cigarettes contain over 4,000 toxic chemicals and more than 40 known carcinogens. It stands to reason that most lung cancer cases are caused by smoking tobacco cigarettes given their toxicity.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday, September 15, 2011, that during the years 2006-2008, the lung cancer rates amongst women dropped 2 per cent nationally. Interestingly, however, the number of new cancer cases reported in the western states including California and Nevada fell as much as 4 per cent during the same time period.

For men, the West provided the same average decrease in new lung cancer cases of 4 per cent. Maybe the West has something going with their heavy regulations and bans that stretch beyond public space into vehicles and multifamily housing units. Continue Reading

A small town actor and producer, Shafique Sheikh, in Malegaon, Maharashtra, India died at 25 due to Tongue Cancer from Smokeless Tobacco.

"Ye Hai Malegaon Ka Superman," translated to This is Malegaon Superman, Sheikh plays a spoof version of Superman who fights against an evil "gutkha king" who attempts to flood a town with a highly addictive chewing tobacco. While Superman fought against smokeless tobacco in the movie, Sheikh battled a soon-to-end fight against cancer caused by the same villain.

Sheikh began chewing tobacco at the age of eight, consuming between 30 and 40 packs per day until the age of 18 when he was diagnosed with oral submucus fibrosis. A chronic, irreversible precancerous condition effecting the jaw. In the latest stages, the condition prohibits the sufferer from Continue Reading

The August issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention contains a study that concludes men in the United States are much more likely than women to die of cancer.

This study looked at the number of cancers developed between men and women along side the mortality rates. Lead researcher, Michael B. Cook, a National Cancer Institute epidemiologist, stated, "If we can identify modifiable causes of sex differences in cancer incidence and mortality then preventative actions could reduce the cancer burden in both men and women." Cook went on to state that incidence rates and by extension, death rates have become disproportionate over time. Continue Reading

Smoking causes gum disease, which leads to coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease can cause a stroke.

Smoking damages the body's ability to fight off viruses from a wide array of sources. Change up your habit and change your life.