Question: My husband has taken up cigar smoking at age 65. He says that since he just started, he won’t smoke long enough to get cancer. I think he’s crazy and that smoking, no matter when you start, can give you cancer. Who’s right?

Dr. Hibberd’s answer:

If cigar smoking had no other hazards, he might be statistically correct. But he is wrong and you are right to be concerned. I am continually amazed at the reasons people give for smoking, and this is certainly one to add to the collection of truly bad ones.

Tobacco smoking in any amount at any age — including passive exposure to secondhand smoke — is hazardous to your lungs, heart, circulation, and brain. Nicotine is an addictive and toxic agent that poses its own dangers beyond the cancer-causing agents your husband is starting to foolishly expose himself to. If he is smoking in your home, he is adversely affecting your health also, so put your foot down now.

The adverse effects of smoking are cumulative, and not only include lung and airway problems, but also colon and bladder malignancies, and cancers of the head and neck, to name only a few. Cigar smokers are no less likely to suffer these adverse effects than cigarette smokers.

Cellular damage from smoking starts immediately and becomes irreversible as scarring ensues. At 10 years (one pack a day) you have an increased risk for disability; at 20 years you have elevated risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Does your husband really want to have an uncomfortable old age? He is headed in that direction at the moment without doubt.