preview

The Leading Causes Of Lung Cancer

Decent Essays

Branden Wallace
James T. Vaughn Correctional Center
September 2, 2014
The Leading Causes of Lung Cancer
State Standard: 6.4.A Cancer is a disease that plagues millions of people annually (“Lung”). Lung cancer develops when healthy cells in the lungs are compromised by chemicals, pathogens, or radiation (Henderson). In the early twentieth century, before cigarette smoking and toxic man-made air pollutants became more commonplace, lung cancer was relatively rare (Henderson). It is now the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, resulting in an estimated 1.3 million deaths annually (“Lung”). Lung cancer is second only to breast cancer as the leading cause of death in women worldwide (“Lung”). In the United States, however, lung cancer is the leading cause of death in women (“Lung”). Lung cancer can occur at any age, but it occurs primarily between the ages of forty-five and seventy-five (“Lung”). The four leading causes of lung cancer are smoking cigarettes, exposure to radon, secondhand smoke, and asbestos exposure. The first leading cause of lung cancer is smoking cigarettes. Tobacco contains nicotine, an alkaloid that is addictive and can have both stimulating and tranquilizing psychoactive effects. The smoking of tobacco, long practiced by American Indians, was introduced to Europe by Christopher Columbus and other explorers. Smoking soon spread to other regions of the world and is widely practiced today despite strong medical opposition and ever growing social and

Get Access