How Dangerous Is Cigarette Smoke?

Cigarette smoke is highly dangerous to both the smoker and anyone around to inhale the secondhand smoke. Smoking is considered to be one of the most detrimental things one can do to their health, and it is the number one cause of preventable death in most industrialized nations. In fact, smoking causes more deaths per year than illegal drugs, homicide, AIDS, and car accidents put together. There are various ways cigarette smoke can damage health. The first is tar, which accumulates in the lungs and slowly smothers the healthy tubes, bronchi, and receptors. This can lead to breathing difficulties, cancer, and other health problems. The lack of oxygen in the body can also eventually lead to heart problems.