Most people know that smoking increases risk for lung cancer and for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a serious, long-term condition affecting the lungs that also includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema and is the third leading cause of death in the United States. But there are several more reasons you should ditch cigarettes, vaping, and other products containing tobacco and nicotine.
Bayhealth Respiratory Therapy Navigator Elizabeth Hurley says it’s especially important for people to recognize that the newer trend of vaping can have detrimental effects on your health. “We’ve known the dangers of smoking for quite some time, and even though there aren’t any long-term studies available because it’s new, vaping has been shown to cause a condition called ‘popcorn lung.’ This isn’t really surprising, however, since it coats the lungs with chemicals,” she said. “So when you switch from smoking to vaping, you’re essentially trading one danger for another. Vaping also isn’t approved by the FDA as a means of quitting smoking.”
Here are a few ways tobacco and nicotine products can have detrimental effects on health and well-being, according to organizations such as the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- In addition to lung cancer, cigarettes and other tobacco products raise risk for cancers of the mouth, cervix, liver, bladder, pancreas, and stomach, just to name a few.
- Tobacco and nicotine products affect virtually every part of your body. Therefore, you’re also at an increased risk for many other health conditions, including, but not limited to, gum disease, type 2 diabetes, cataracts and macular degeneration, heart disease and stroke, and lower bone density.
- Smoking has been shown to shorten lifespan — by about 12 years for male smokers and by about 11 years for their female counterparts.
Bayhealth will be recognizing the American Cancer Society’s annual Great American Smokeout event on Thursday, Nov. 16, by providing information and resources to help you quit. Trained facilitators will be outside the cafeterias at Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus, 640 South State St., Dover, and Bayhealth Milford Memorial, 21 West Clarke Ave., Milford. Contact Jamann Caselles, BSN, RN, at 302-744-6227 for more information. You may also visit Bayhealth.org/Classes to learn about or register for the free tobacco cessation classes that Bayhealth offers to Delaware residents ages 18 and older.
