INTRODUCTIONIt is a proven fact. More Americans die each year from lung cancer and other smoking-related diseases than die from AIDS, drug abuse, car accidents and homicides combined. Cigarette smoking is a danger to our lives and health. It is the leading known cause of lung cancer. Every year more than 30,000 people die from lung cancer and 4 out of 5 of them will get it from cigarette smoking. Studies have shown that there is no safe way to smoke. Tobacco contains many dangerous cancer-causing chemicals that affect the lungs of smokers and non-smokers, so smoking just a small amount can increase your chances of getting lung cancer. The Surgeon General stated that “smoking is the leading cause of death in our society and is responsible for more than one in five deaths in the United States.” The purpose of this report is to inform and educate the reader about smoking and why it is considered the leading cause of lung cancer. This topic is near and dear to me because my grandfather, who was once a heavy smoker, is now battling this terrible disease. The only way to protect yourself from this deadly disease is to never start smoking or quit smoking if you are a smoker. TEENAGERS AND SMOKERS Adolescence is a period of development. It is a time of change, growth, exploration and evaluation of future values. Many young people today become victims of peer pressure. Smoking can be used as a key behavior necessary for a person to become a member of a certain peer group. Young people want to be accepted and many times they do everything to become part of the crowd. They don't know that the earlier you start smoking, the more likely you are to develop lung cancer or some other lung disease as you get older. WHAT CAUSES LUNG CANCER? Smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. The American Lung Association says cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 different chemicals. Many of these chemicals have been shown to cause cancer. Many of these chemicals also affect nonsmokers who inhale "secondary" smoke, making secondhand smoke another major cause... middle of the paper... the protection against lung cancer is to never start smoking. Don't be a statistic like my grandfather, stay away from cigarettes: it's a matter of life and death.WORK CITED PAGE1. Rosenfeld, Isadore, MD, Symptoms. McGraw, New York, New York. 1989.3. Lung cancer. Encyclopedia Britannica, Chicago, Illinois. 1968.4. Meyer, John, Cigarette Smoking. Trac Info, l992.5. Powis, Raymond L., The human body and why it works. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 19857. Smoking and cancer. American Lung Association. l992. 8. Deal with peer pressure. Americans for a drug-free America. 1991SMOKING CIGARETTES CAUSES LUNG CANCER?