Surgeon General: Even One Cigarette Is Harmful

Smokers who light up only from time to time still face serious health risks, according to the U.S. Surgeon General, whose report is the first warning about cigarettes in the last four years.

U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin warns that exposure to tobacco smoke -- even occasional smoking or secondhand smoke -- causes immediate damage to your body that can lead to serious illness or death.

"The chemicals in tobacco smoke reach your lungs quickly every time you inhale causing damage immediately, Benjamin said in releasing the report.  "Inhaling even the smallest amount of tobacco smoke can also damage your DNA, which can lead to cancer. 

The report also explains why it is so difficult to quit smoking. According to the research, cigarettes are designed for addiction.

Designed for addiction?

The design and contents of current tobacco products make them more attractive and addictive than ever before, the Surgeon General maintains. She says today's cigarettes deliver nicotine more quickly and efficiently than cigarettes of many years ago.

The report offers a chemical analysis of tobacco smoke, calling it a deadly mixture of more than 7,000 chemicals and compounds, of which hundreds are toxic and at least 70 cause cancer. Every exposure to these cancer-causing chemicals could damage DNA in a way that leads to cancer, the report says.

According to the report, smoking is responsible for more than 85 percent of lung cancers and can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body. One in three cancer deaths in the U.S. is tobacco-related. Exposure to tobacco smoke also decreases the benefits of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments.

Not too late

That said, it's never too late to quit, Benjamin says.

 "This report makes it clear - quitting at any time gives your body a chance to heal the damage caused by smoking," the Surgeon General said. "It's never too late to quit, but the sooner you do it, the better."

Fortunately, he says, there are now more effective ways to help people quit than ever before. Nicotine replacement is available over the counter and doctors can prescribe medications that improve the chances of successful quit attempts.

The Surgeon General's office says smokers who want information about quitting should call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for help.