Does Smoking Cause Lung Cancer?

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INTRODUCTION

It's a proven fact. Each year more Americans die from lung cancer and other smoking related diseases than they die from aids, drug abuse, car accidents and homicide, combined.
Cigarette smoking is a danger to our life and health. It is the leading known cause of lung cancer. Each year more than 30,000 people will die of lung cancer and 4 out of 5 of them will get it because of cigarette smoke.
Studies have proven that there is no safe way to smoke. Tobacco contains many dangerous cancer causing chemicals that affects the lungs of the smoker and the nonsmoker, so smoking just a little amount can increase your chances of getting lung cancer. The Surgeon General has said that "smoking is the single most important cause of death in our society, and it is responsible for more than one out of every five deaths in the United States." The purpose of this report is to inform and educate the reader about smoking and why it is considered the biggest cause of lung cancer. This subject is near and dear to me because my grandfather, who was once a heavy smoker, is now fighting this awful disease. The only way to protect yourself against this killer disease is to never start smoking or to stop smoking if you are a smoker.
ADOLESCENTS AND SMOKING
Adolescence is a time of development. It is a time of change, growth, exploration and evaluation of future values. Many young people today become a victim to peer pressure. Smoking can be used as a key behavior needed for a person to become a member of a certain peer group. Young people want to be accepted and many times will do whatever they have to do to become part of crowd. They don't know that the earlier you start smoking, the greater your chances of developing lung cancer or some other lung related disease as you get older.
WHAT CAUSES LUNG CANCER?
Smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. The American Lung Association says that cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 different chemicals. Many of these chemicals have been proven to be cause cancer. Many of these chemicals also affect the nonsmoker who inhales "secondhand" smoke, which makes secondhand smoke another major caus...

... middle of paper ...

...tection against getting lung cancer is to never start smoking. Don’t be a statistic like my grandfather, stay away from cigarettes – it’s a matter of life and death.

WORK CITED PAGE

1. Rosenfeld, Isadore, M.D., Symptoms. McGraw, New York, New York. 1989.

3. Lung Cancer. Encyclopedia Britannica, Chicago, Illinois. 1968.

4. Meyer, John, Cigarette Smoking. Info Trac, l992.

5. Powis, Raymond L., The Human Body and Why it Works. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 1985

7. Smoking and Cancer. American Lung Association. l992. 8. Coping With Peer Pressure. Americans For A Drug-Free America. 1991

DOES SMOKING CIGARETTES CAUSE LUNG CANCER?

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