Smoking and Tobacco
Tobacco smoke contains at least 70 known chemicals, called carcinogens, that cause cancer. Smoking cigarettes is the leading risk factor for lung cancer. Cigar smoking, pipe smoking, low-tar cigarettes and menthol cigarettes can increase a person’s risk of lung cancer as much as regular cigarettes. In addition, inhaling secondhand smoke from someone else’s cigarette or other smoking devices can also cause lung cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 7,300 people who never smoked die from lung cancer due to secondhand smoke each year. What’s more, smoking is also a risk factor for other cancers, including cancers of the mouth, cervix and kidney.
