According to the 2004 Surgeon General's Report smoking can harm almost every organ in the human body.  Over 400,000 people die from some form of smoking related illness each year in the United States.  By quitting smoking you can lower your risk for diseases and deaths caused by smoking. 

There are many health effects of smoking, the younger you start smoking the more likely you are to be at risk for hearth disease and stroke.  People who smoke have a lower level of lung function than that of a nonsmoker.  Individuals who smoke a pack or more daily will live 7 years less than someone who has never smoked. 

The health effects of smoking harms more than the smoker, second hand smoke is just as poisonous to the body.  There are more than 50 cancer-causing chemicals in second hand smoke. 

One of the first diseases found to be caused by smoking was cancer.  Over the years cancer has been the second leading cause of death in the United States.  It is estimated that over 1,500 people a day would die from smoking related cancer.  More on Cancer from Smoking.

Studies have shown that cigarette smoking can damage the lining of your blood vessels and heart causing cardiovascular diseases.  Stroke and heart disease are also one of the leading causes of death in the United States.  People who smoke are up to 4 times more likely to die from heart disease.  More on Cardiovascular Disease and Smoking.

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.  Smoking cigarettes is responsible for over 90% of those deaths.  People who contract COPD from smoking are slowly killing themselves from a lack of air.  More on Smoking and Respiratory Diseases.

Research has shown that smoking cigarettes harms every phase of reproduction.  Smoking women have a more difficult time getting pregnant and women who smoke during pregnancy run the risk or complications such as low birth weight infants, stillbirth, and infant mortality.  More on how Smoking Harms Reproduction.