Harmful Smoking Effects

Smoke gets in your eyes—and mouth, lungs, kidneys, stomach… In fact, smoking and chewing tobacco can harm almost any part of your body. Form lung cancer to snoring and bad breath to gum disease, the harmful effects of cigarettes, smoking, and chewing add up to a list like none other. It’s plain to see that using tobacco is not worth the risks.

Head, Mouth, and Throat Area

• Reduced night vision
• Bad breath
• Drooling
• Stained teeth or rotting teeth
• Snoring and sleep problems
• Decreased sense of taste and smell
• Gum disease
• Hoarseness in women’s voices
• Excess facial hair in women
• Oral cancer (such as mouth cancer, throat cancer, and tongue cancer).

Respiratory System

• “Smoker’s cough”
• Asthma and allergy symptoms
• Lung disease, emphysema, and bronchitis
• Lung cancer.

Cardiovascular System

• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke.

Digestive System

• Acid reflux/heartburn
• Vomiting, diarrhea
• Peptic ulcers
• Cirrhosis (liver disease) worsened by overuse of alcohol and tobacco
• Liver, stomach, esophagus, and bladder cancer.

Renal System

• Urinary tract cancers
• Kidney cancer.

Reproductive System

• Impotence (difficulty having an erection)
• Lowered fertility
• Pregnancy problems, such as premature birth
• Menstruation problems and early menopause
• Cervical cancer.

Immune System

• Skin wounds that heal slowly
• Thinning bones
• More frequent illnesses caused by an impaired immune system.