How dangerous is prolonged smoking?
Smoking cigarettes provokes the development of cancers. The longer you have smoked, the higher your risk of getting lung cancer and other types of malignancy. Largely due to this carcinogenic effect of smoking, smokers live at average ten years less than non-smokers. After the age of 35, death rates among long-term smokers are several times higher than those of non-smokers. Another harmful effect of prolonged smoking is deteriorated lung function leading to chronic coughing and shortness of breath with increased physical activity. Rapid skin aging, as well as decreased taste and smell sensations, are also observed among long-term smokers.
