Word of the Day: Carcinogen
13 Comments 
Carcinogen: Any substance that causes cancer.
Cigarette smoking can lead to cancer. How many times have you heard that before? But it’s true: the smoke from cigarettes has chemicals in it—like nicotine, and around 3,999 others—that have been found to be carcinogenic (cancer causing).
Not only are carcinogens in cigarettes, but they are also in second-hand smoke—raising cancer risks for people exposed to smoke from other people’s cigarettes. And, thanks to a study conducted with fruit flies by a high school student, there is new evidence supporting the danger of third-hand smoke. Third-hand smoke is “leftover” smoke that gets in clothes, rugs, and furniture, where it can stay for years.
“A horrible thing to see.”
The impact of carcinogens affects not just smokers, but their families and friends as well. Take Ashley, a 14-year-old from Ocean City, New Jersey, who watched her grandfather die from lung cancer. Ashley’s grandfather began smoking as a teenager in the Navy before people really understood how bad it was for you. But now—with all the information out there about smoking and deadly diseases—Ashley wonders why people, especially teens, would keep doing it. “You know that if you put that cigarette in your mouth, it might kill you. But you do it anyway. That just doesn’t make sense.”
“Carcinogens” and other SAT-worthy words can be found in NIDA’s Teen glossary.
Wow, thanks for posting that study about third-hand smoke. I had no idea that third-hand smoke could have such harmful effects.
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instead of smoking, teens must switch to leisure activities like playing computer games.
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Great article. i hope smokers who get to read this will finally realize the risks of smoking. Thanks for this very enlightening post.
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carciniogen is bad
often times women suffer from negative affects of drinking – smoking -a lot faster then men and have different issues. [commercial link deleted per g/l]
A nonsmoker is forced to find food, but for a smoker breakfast can be a cigarette and a cup of bad coffee.
Thanks for this nice and informative article which helps to understands the negetive effects and results of smoking causes cancer sometimes.
I think that people should stop smoking because cancer is nothing to play around with and if you smoke, you’re making your chances even higher of getting it,
We all know that but to quit is not to easy I know byself. I look may electric smoking can hep to quit.
Smoking is not something that someone can get rid of that easily. It is easy to pickup smaoking and harder to drop it.
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Wow!thanks for a wonderful informati0n ab0ut sm0king..i h0pe that every0ne who sm0ke will st0p it.because it’s n0t only them who can get the effects of using cigarettes but also people who are n0t using it.’:)
Thanks for the article on the dangers of smoking. Always a great idea to quit. I managed to do so over 30 years ago on a bet. Ireally didn’t want to cheat my friend, so I stuck with it. Hope someone else can find the way to quitting. Jim [commercial link removed, per guidelines]
My mother and Father passed from cancer. I’ve always been concious of lung health. Hope evryone stays healthy in the new year. Thinking about getting a scooter to help air quality. Looking at these maybe. [commercial link removed, per guidelines]