Smoking
Men and women who formed the habit of smoking 20 years or 10 years ago did not have this information. Had it been available earlier, there would no doubt be fewer smokers today-and fewer deaths from lung cancer.
During the last 30 years, while the death rate, in general, decreased slowly and the death rate from all cancers increased, the lung cancer rate mounted rapidly. It is still mounting rapidly nowadays. The American Public Health Association estimates that, if present trends continue, about one million youngsters now in school will die of lung cancer before they reach the age of 70.
Scientists have long suspected two factors in the rise of lung cancer: cigarettes smoking and air pollution. Statistical studies indicate that ten times as many smokers as nonsmokers die of lung cancer. Studies show too the more you smoke the greater the risk-in the city or in the country. Cigarette smoking has been shown to be far more important than air pollution as a causal factor in lung cancer. Laboratory studies show that the tar in cigarette smoke contains a number of agents which will produce cancer in animals. Other studies show that the cigarette smoke weakens the natural defences of the lungs. When normal cells are damaged, cancer cells may develop, grow, crowd out, and finally destroy the normal cells.
However, the most important factor in determining whether or not a young person will begin to smoke is whether or not his parents smoke. If the parents or older brothers and sisters in a family smoke, smoking is very likely to be taken up by younger family members. According to some studies that have been made, smoking is high among young people who have fallen behind their age group at school or who are having other difficulties at school. For some young people, smoking is thought to be a rebellious reaction to various restrictions put upon them.
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