The unhealthy myths about cigar-smoking - FOX 21/27 WFXR Roanoke/WWCW Lynchburg News, Weather

If you don't inhale, you are still seven to 10 times more likely than cigarette smokers or nonsmokers to develop cancer of the mouth and throat. You are also at an increased risk for cancers of the lips, tongue and esophagus. What's more, you raise your risks for lung and vocal cord cancer. Cigar smoking may also cause cancer of the pancreas. If you inhale cigar smoke, your risks go up even more.

Myth: Cigars don't cause the health problems that cigarettes do.
Fact: Smoking cigars raises your risks for diseases of the heart and lungs. There is also an increased risk of abdominal aneurysm. Cigar smoking is linked to gum disease and tooth loss as well.

Myth: Cigars aren't as addictive as cigarettes.
Fact: Whether or not you inhale, you still absorb nicotine through the lining of your mouth. Unlike cigarettes, cigars usually don't have filters or tips. This means that just holding a cigarette between your lips exposes you to nicotine. It also exposes you to many cancer-causing substances.

Myth: Secondhand cigar smoke isn't as harmful to the environment as cigarette smoke.
Fact: Cigar smoke has the same harmful ingredients as cigarette smoke, but at higher levels. They linger in the air much longer than cigarette smoke. It usually takes fewer than 10 minutes to smoke a cigarette, but an hour or more to smoke a large cigar. Studies show that secondhand smoke raises the risk of cancer, heart attack and heart and lung disease in nonsmokers.