Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking: Risks and Consequences
This paper examines the wide-ranging health consequences of cigarette smoking, drawing on data from the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other sources. It covers the toxic chemical composition of cigarette tobacco, the elevated risks of coronary heart disease, lung cancer, emphysema, and stroke faced by smokers, and the physiological mechanisms behind these conditions. The paper also addresses the addictive nature of nicotine, noting that even light or occasional smoking among teenagers can trigger dependency. Both long-term, life-threatening effects and near-immediate consequences — such as skin damage, bad breath, and increased susceptibility to respiratory illness — are discussed.
- Introduction: The Scope of Smoking-Related Death: Statistics on smoking deaths and disease risk
- Toxic Chemicals in Cigarette Tobacco: How tobacco chemicals poison the body
- Cardiovascular Effects of Smoking: Heart disease, blood pressure, and arterial damage
- Lung Disease and Respiratory Damage: Cancer, emphysema, and tar accumulation in lungs
- Circulation, Physical Performance, and Skin Health: Oxygen deprivation, injury risk, and collagen loss
- Addiction and the Effects of Occasional Smoking: Nicotine dependency, even with light smoking
- Conclusion: Immediate and Long-Term Consequences: Summary of short- and long-term smoking harms
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper opens with striking statistical comparisons — smoking deaths versus HIV, alcohol, and motor vehicle deaths combined — immediately establishing the gravity of the topic for a general audience.
- It progresses logically from chemical causes to specific organ-level consequences, giving the argument a clear mechanistic foundation before moving to behavioral and social effects.
- The inclusion of a concrete anecdote (ninth grader Lauren) grounds abstract health statistics in relatable human experience, which is particularly effective for a teenage audience.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of authoritative source integration, citing the American Cancer Society, the CDC, and peer-reviewed health publications to support each major claim. This citation-driven structure shows students how to build a persuasive informational argument by anchoring every health claim to a credible institutional or research source rather than relying on assertion alone.
Structure breakdown
The essay follows a classic informational structure: a statistics-heavy introduction establishes urgency; body paragraphs each address a distinct category of harm (cardiovascular, pulmonary, circulatory, cosmetic, and addictive); a brief narrative example humanizes the issue; and a short conclusion reinforces the central warning. Each body paragraph is largely self-contained, making the organizational logic easy to follow.
Introduction: The Scope of Smoking-Related Death
The American Cancer Society (ACS) reports that one in five deaths in the United States is the result of tobacco use. The Surgeon General issued a statement in 1982 that remains true decades later: cigarette smoking is the major single cause of cancer mortality in the United States (Leo Rosen, 2011). The effects of cigarette smoking can be deadly, and perhaps surprisingly, less than half the deaths associated with smoking are cancer-related. Emphysema, heart disease, and stroke are among the fatal consequences of smoking. The effects of cigarette smoking can also be seen in diseases that are not immediately life-threatening, such as asthma and peripheral vascular disease (PVD), but they nevertheless bring a great deal of suffering and cost billions of dollars each year to treat.
There are more deaths associated with smoking than from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined ("Centers for Disease," 2012). Smokers, compared to non-smokers, have at least double the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Men who smoke are twenty-three times more likely to develop lung cancer; women who smoke are thirteen times more likely than their non-smoking peers. Smokers of both genders are twelve to thirteen times more likely to die from chronic obstructive lung diseases.
Toxic Chemicals in Cigarette Tobacco
Cigarette tobacco contains chemicals such as nicotine, formaldehyde, ammonia, and cyanide that are poisonous to the body in high enough doses. The effects of ingesting these poisons can happen slowly, although first-time smokers may feel ill as the body enters defense mode in reaction to these substances. It is not unusual for first-time smokers to feel pain or burning in the throat and lungs. Some people even feel sick or vomit the first few times they try tobacco (Hirsch). It is the body's way of coping — when something makes a person sick, it is a warning signal that the substance is dangerous and should be avoided.
Cardiovascular Effects of Smoking
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that coronary heart disease is currently the leading cause of death in the United States. This disease can be one of the most common, and deadliest, effects of smoking. The mixture of carbon monoxide and nicotine temporarily increases heart rate and blood pressure. Carbon monoxide robs the muscles, brain, and body tissue of oxygen, forcing all systems in the body — especially the heart — to work harder. Fat deposits can narrow and ultimately block blood vessels. When a person develops coronary heart disease, the arteries narrow, placing great stress on the aorta — the main artery of the body — and can result in problems in the limbs ranging from pain to tissue loss or gangrene. Some smokers eventually require limb amputation (Johnson).
Conclusion: Immediate and Long-Term Consequences
There are many negative effects of smoking, some of which can be seen in the first weeks of taking up the habit. Other effects may take years to manifest, but can result in disease and death. Health organizations advise people, especially teenagers, not to start smoking. Smokers are encouraged to quit. The effects of cigarette smoking are dangerous.
Buswell, N. (2009). Clearing the air. Current Health, 36(2), pp. 18–21.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012, January 10). Retrieved from
Hirsch, L. (n.d.). Smoking. TeensHealth. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/teen/drugalcohol/tobacco/smoking.html
Johnson, L. Stop smoking programs — the best way to quit smoking. Harmful health effects of smoking. Stop Smoking Programs.
Leo Rosen, G. R. (2011, November 21). American Cancer Association. Retrieved from
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