Stub Out the Tobacco Habit

By Catherine D. Saylor-Boles, RDH, MS, Julie D. Sutton, RDH, MS

Since Luther Terry, MD, the United States Surgeon General, first reported the danger of tobacco use in 1964, more than 20 million Americans have died prematurely due to cigarette smoking.¹ Smoking causes disease through different pathways. Firsthand smoke is linked causally to 25 health problems, including, but not limited to, cancer of the bladder, cervix, lung, oral cavity, pancreas, stomach and kidney; pulmonary disease; and cardiovascular disease.² Cigarette smoking causes pregnancy complications, low bone density, ulcers, cataracts, overall diminished health status, and increased morbidity.² It is associated with diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and colorectal cancer.¹ In terms of economic burden, cigarette use creates more than $193 billion in health care costs and loss of productivity annually.¹

* References can be found in the original article via the link below.
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