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Tobacco Use in the United States
Since the release of the first Surgeon General’s
Report in 1964, the scientific knowledge about the health consequences of tobacco use has
greatly increased. It is now well documented that smoking cigarettes causes chronic lung
and heart disease, and cancer of the lung, esophagus, larynx, mouth, and
bladder. Cigarette smoking contributes to
cancer of the pancreas, kidney, and cervix. Consequences of using smokeless tobacco
include cancer of the gum, mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus.
Studies have also demonstrated that women who use tobacco
during pregnancy are more likely to have adverse birth outcomes, including low
birth weight babies. Low birth weight is a leading cause of death among infants.
Studies also indicate that nonsmokers are adversely
affected by environmental tobacco smoke. Researchers have identified more than
4,800
chemical compounds in tobacco smoke; of these, at least 69 cause cancer in humans and
animals. Each year, because of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, an estimated 3,000
nonsmoking Americans die of lung cancer, and 300,000 children suffer from lower
respiratory tract infections.
Particularly alarming is the fact that more than 3
million young people under age 18 smoke half a billion cigarettes each year and that more
than one-half of them consider themselves dependent upon cigarettes. The decision to use
tobacco is nearly always made in the teen years, and about one-half of young people
usually continue to use tobacco products as adults.
Graph: Trends in
Current Cigarette Smoking by Grade in School—United States, 1975–2001
Graph: Annual Deaths Attributable to
Cigarette Smoking—United States, 1995–1999
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