THANKS, BUT NO CIGAR

If one were to judge on the basis of the number of newly opened cigar stores and clubs catering to cigar smokers, as well as the highly visible magazine Cigar Aficionado, one could conclude that cigar smoking was the hottest trend in tobacco use.  To a degree this contention is true when one considers that in 1991 only 2.2% of the adult population smoked cigars on a regular basis, while by 1998 the size of the cigar-smoking population had risen to 5.2%.  This said, however, a 2000 report demonstrates a decline to 4.5%, suggesting the appeal of cigars has begun to wane.  However, for those cigar smokers who will apparently continue, and for those of you who might be increasingly interested in this form of tobacco use, the following information from the American Lung Association should be considered:

·         Secondhand (sidestream) cigar smoke is more poisonous than secondhand cigarette smoke.  The smoke from on cigar equals that of three cigarettes.  Carbon monoxide emissions from one cigar are 30 times higher than for one cigarette.

·         Cigar smoking can cause cancer of the larynx (voice box), mouth, esophagus, and lungs.  Cancer death rates for cigar smokers are 34% higher than for nonsmokers.

·         Ninety-nine percent of cigar have atypical cells found in the larynx.  These cells are the first step toward malignancy (cancer).

·         Cigar smokers are three to five times more likely to die of lung cancer than are nonsmokers.

·         Cigar smokers have five times the risk of emphysema compared to nonsmokers.

·         Nicotine does not have to be inhaled to damage the heart and blood vessels.  It is absorbed into the bloodstream through the mucous membranes of the mouth.  Nicotine increases the heart rate and constricts the blood vessels, which reduces blood flow to the heart.