For over past two decades, the U.S. government has been keeping an estimate of the number of American lives prematurely lost from smoking.

According to current U.S. government calculations, approximately 430,000 lives are lost each year in the United States as a result of cigarette smoking.

Some other studies suggest the number of annual loss of life due to smoking to be somewhere in the range of 600,000 to 700,000.

Active cigarette smoking has not only been linked to lung cancer, it is also associated with an array of other diseases -some of which are listed below:

• Cancers of the esophagus, larynx, lip, mouth, pharynx, tongue, kidney, pancreas, urinary bladder, and uterine cervix.
• Cardiovascular disease, including aortic aneurysm, angina, atherosclerosis, coronary heart attack, and stroke.
• Chronic obstructive respiratory lung diseases as well as chronic bronchitis, and emphysema.
• Increased risk of respiratory disorders/complications such as bronchitis, common colds, influenza, and pneumonia.
• For men, smoking causes impotence.
• For women, smoking impairs fertility, and brings on premature menopause.
• Increases the risk for osteoporosis and gum disease.
• Increases risk of premature hearing loss, and vision problems.

The above smoking related health complications have been well-documented. However, the health risks that non-smokers are faced with because of Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) or Secondhand Tobacco Smoking (STS) are being studied only (relatively) recently.

Correlation between number of packs smoked/day and risk of lung disease:

When someone has accumulated about 40 pack years of smoking, (s)he is a potential candidate for developing emphysema. One pack year equals one pack of cigarettes a day for a whole year.

The chemicals in tobacco smoke make the tissues surrounding distal air-sacks (aveoli) less elastic. The loss of elasticity in lung tissues compromises the lungs' ability to expand/bounce-back (reduced lung recoil), thereby lowering the amount of air inhaled. Over time, the end result of such weakening/slackening of lung tissues (caused by various chemicals in cigarette smoke) is significantly reduced lung capacity -a condition often described as pulmonary insufficiency.

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Visit our Lung Disease reference page for additional information on various lung related health issues. Also check out cancer news for the latest Smoking and Lung Cancer Risk Factors Related News, and Lung Cancer Articles Library for additional articles on Tobacco Cigarette Smoking and Lung Cancer Risk Factors.

Note: Consult a qualified medical practitioner if you suspect lung disease. Information published at this mesothelioma lung disease asbestos cancer forum - or most other websites for that matter - should not be relied upon for health decisions. The information presented on this web site is not intended as a substitute for medical care, medical, legal, or professional advise. Please talk with your healthcare provider for all your health concerns.