Tobacco Surely Kills

Recent research conducted at the McMaster University in Ontario revealed that any type of tobacco use- smoking, chewing or even second hand exposure to smoke increases a person’s risk for heart attack.

The comprehensive study, which analyzed data from more than 27,000 people in 52 countries, factored in other lifestyle traits such as diet and age also.

The study found a direct relation between the quantum of tobacco consumption and risk of a heart attack. With an increase in tobacco consumption, an increased risk of a heart attack was witnessed.

The study revealed that moderate and heavy smokers had a three-fold increased risk of a heart attack and light smokers (8-10 cigarettes a day) had a two-fold risk. The risk decreased with time after a person stopped smoking.

For light smokers, there was no excess risk 3 to 5 years after they quit smoking. However, moderate and heavy smokers still had an excess risk of about 22 percent even 20 years after quitting the habit.

Another startling finding of the study was that even secondhand smoke increased the risk of heart attack. People with exposure of 22 hours or more per week have about a 45 percent increased risk of heart attack.

In fact, passive smoking is even more dangerous as the non-smoker breathes the "sidestream" smoke after the main one from burning tobacco has been inhaled by the smoker. . Children exposed to secondhand smoke can develop sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma.

Like the proverbial “There is no right way of doing the wrong thing” switching to alternative forms of tobacco intake does not reduce risk either. In fact, the researchers concluded that chewing tobacco doubled the risk of heart attack.

60 chemicals present in smoke are known carcinogens or cancer-causing agents. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classed environmental tobacco smoke as a class A (known human) carcinogen.

Tobacco is the only consumer product that will kill more than half of its regular "customers." Tobacco killed 100 million people last century, the expected toll is feared to be 1 billion this century.

Tobacco is the second major cause of death in the world. Half the people that smoke today (about 650 million people) will eventually be killed by tobacco.

These disquieting facts should dissuade people from starting smoking and promote quitting in current smokers. The writing on the wall is clear. Tobacco consumption is injurious to health.