Tobacco and smoking are the leading cause of preventable cancers. Avoiding tobacco and smoking is a crucial step in reducing your cancer risk.
Say No to Tobacco
Avoid all forms of tobacco, including cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco. The chemicals in tobacco increase your risk of various cancers, affecting not only your lungs but your entire body.
Smoking damages your lungs, weakens your immune system, and puts you at higher risk for cancer. Quitting smoking is a powerful move for your health.
Protect Those Around You
Remember, the harms of tobacco and smoking aren't limited to the person using them. Secondhand smoke poses serious risks to others, especially children and non-smokers. By avoiding tobacco and smoking, you're also protecting the health of those around you.
E-cigarettes
E-cigarettes and vaping are still fairly new, and more research is needed over a longer period of time to know what the long-term effects may be. The most important points to know are that the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes are still unknown, and all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, can pose health risks to the user.
After Quitting:
| According to the American Cancer Society, you will see some benefits of quitting rather quickly. | ||
|---|---|---|
| After 20 minutes |  |
Your heart rate and blood pressure drop. |
| After a few days |  |
The carbon monoxide in our system drops to a normal level. |
| Within 3 months of quitting |  |
Your circulation improves and luncg function increases. |
| Within a year |  |
Your coughing and shortness of breath decrease and the cilia (tiny hairs) in your lungs start clearing your lungs of mucus again, reducing your risk of infection. |
| Within a couple of years of quitting |  |
Your risk of a heart attack drops dramatically. |
| Between 5 and 10 years after quitting |  |
Your risk of stroke decreases and your risk of moth, throat or voicebox cancers are cut in half. |
| After 10 years of being smoke-free |  |
Your risk of lung cancer will be about half of what it is for a smoker. Your risk of cancer of the bladder, esophagus or kidney decreases. |
| After 15 years |  |
Your risk of coronary disease is half of a smoker’s. |
