In a Puff of Smoke
Preventing Lung Cancer

Smoking is the single largest cause of preventable disease and death in the world. It is involved in about 30% of all cancer incidence. In the United States it accounts for almost 500,000 deaths each year, one in every five deaths. Smokers who quit do not escape the health effects of their smoking, but quitting is the most effective health step a smoker can take. There is a higher percentage of teenage smokers (35%) than in the general population (28%).

Menu The Surgeon General's Report Tobacco Road: History Tobacco Trails: Smoking and Geography Something's Burning: Combustion Take a Deep Breath: Lung Capacity Making a Model Lung A Pack a Day: The Costs What Gets in Your Lungs Leaving the Pack Taking Action

The teddy bear on the left is much more likely to develop lung cancer than the teddy bear on the right.

In this section you will have a chance to explore some history, examine facts about smoking and combustion, find out how your lungs function and what effect smoking has on them, learn about smoking and cancer, and find out the benefits of not smoking.

For more information, at other Web sites...

Chemicals & Human Health — includes tutorial with problem set on lung toxicology and an activity on the effects of second-hand smoke, part of The Biology Project from the University of Arizona.

DNA Sequencing Module — a class project investigating the link between genes and tobacco addiction, from the High School Human Genome Program, University of Washington.

Tobacco Induced Mutations — an activity in which students subject bacteria to tobacco smoke and observe the resulting mutagenic effects, from the University of Arizona Center for Toxicology Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center Community Outreach and Education Program Educational Resources.

Tobacco-Related Internet Resources — from the antismoking group Tobacco.org.