[9]而今年早些时候，贝克曼研究所的格尔德·普法伊费尔所作的一项研究确切地指出了卷烟烟雾中固有的致癌物，这些致癌物袭击的目标是一种基因的某些部分，人们已经发现，这种基因在一些癌症中很突出。 [10]普法伊费尔在《科学》杂志上写道，吸烟使p53基因发生改变，这种基因在正常情况下起着防癌的作用，但在发生突变时，就会加快癌症的发展。

[11]美国癌症协会发表的另一份研究报告说，尼古丁含量低的卷烟并不能减少患癌症的可能性，它们实际上是引起一种进入到肺组织深层的癌症的罪魁祸首。

[12]而其他的癌症也受吸烟的影响。今年年初，美国癌症协会的一份研究报告表明，吸烟使男性死于前列腺癌的危险增加了，而其他的一些研究把吸烟同患上其他癌症(包括喉癌、乳腺癌和结肠癌)的危险的增加联系到了一起。

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES

[13] Smoking also has been linked time and again to cardiovascular diseases. Among these, the biggest killer is heart disease: according to the CDC, smoking triples the risk of dying from heart disease among middle-aged men and women.

[14] Studies also show an increased risk of death from stroke, aneurysms, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular illnesses.

RESPIRATORY DISEASES

OTHER ILLNESSES
[16] A report recently published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggested that smoking increased the risk of developing non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) by more than three times.

[17] Studies have pointed to smoking as a risk in vision loss among older people, mental impairment later in life, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

EFFECT ON PREGNANCY

[18] Pregnant women who smoke can pass nicotine and carbon monoxide to their baby through the placenta. Research indicates this can prevent the baby from getting the oxygen and nutrients it needs to grow--potentially leading to fetal injury, premature birth, or low birth weight. According to the American Lung Association, smoking during pregnancy accounts for an estimated 20 to 30 percent of low birthweight babies, up to 14 percent of premature deliveries, and about 10 percent of all infant deaths.

心血管疾病

[13]吸烟还被一再地和心血管疾病联系在一起，其中最大的杀手是心脏病。根据疾病防治中心的说法，吸烟使中年男女烟民死于心脏病的危险增至3倍。

[14]研究还表明，死于中风、动脉瘤、高血压和其他心血管疾病的危险也有所增加。

呼吸系统疾病

[15]吸烟被引证为导致死于肺炎、慢性气管炎或肺气肿的一种隐患。疾病防治中心说，吸烟的人死于支气管炎和肺气肿的危险比不吸烟的人高出将近 10倍。
其他疾病

[16]美国《流行病学杂志》最近发表的一份报告表明，吸烟使人们患非胰岛素依赖型糖尿病的危险增加了3倍多。

[17]研究指出，吸烟有导致老年人中的失明、晚年大脑损伤、早老性痴呆病和其他类型的痴呆病的危险。 吸烟对妊娠的影响

[18]抽烟的怀孕女性会通过胎盘把尼古丁和一氧化碳传给胎儿。研究表明，这会妨碍胎儿获得发育所需要的氧气和营养物质，这可能对胎儿造成伤害，引起早产或胎儿体重不足。根据美国肺器官协会的说法，估计有20％至30％的体重不足的婴儿，多达14％的早产以及约 10％的婴儿死亡都是由于女性在孕期吸烟引起的。吸烟的母亲还有可能通过喂母乳把尼古丁传给婴儿。

SECONDHAND SMOKE

[19] The studies didn’t just point to the ill effects of smoking on those who smoke--non-smokers, too, are apparently affected by the smoke from their friends, family members and strangers who light up in their presence.

[20] A steady stream of reports documented the statistical risks of contracting cancer or suffering from heart disease, even if you’ve never put a cigarette to your lips.

[21] The American Heart Association last fall released a seven-year study showing that never-smoking spouses of smokers have more than a 20 percent greater chance of death from coronary heart disease than those who have never smoked who live with non-smokers. That study gave more impetus to the drive to make workplaces and other public areas smoke-free.
[22] The effects of smoking are hard on the children of smokers as well, the studies say. Dr. Claude Hanet of the St. Luc University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium, said earlier this year that a baby born to a smoking mother "should be considered an ex-smoker",

[23] Hanet’s study cautioned that cigarette smoke was more detrimental with decreasing age.