USC Health Now

Ask the USC Doc

Q. I am concerned about a friend who smokes cigars on a daily basis. He says they’re not nearly as unhealthy as cigarettes, since you don’t inhale them. What are the possible dangers?

A. Steve Sussman, Ph.D., professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, says that cigar smoking can increase the risk of serious illness or death. In terms of health risks, puffing on a stogie but not inhaling is roughly the equivalent of smoking two cigarettes. Inhaling boosts the exposure to the equivalent of as many as three cigarettes. Sussman says that tobacco use accounts for 84 percent of all lung cancers and that smoking is the cause of one out of every six deaths in the U.S. A person’s health risk is directly related to how much they smoke, and the problem with tobacco is that it is addictive, driving users to maintain high exposure levels for prolonged periods of time, Sussman says. For casual smokers, however, only one cigar a week is unlikely to have serious health consequences. “That’s the rule of thumb: no more than one cigar a week. But there are a lot of limitations even for once-a-week smokers. For example, don’t inhale and don’t smoke around others because that increases their exposure to carcinogens as well,” he says. Sussman adds that the best way to limit the risk from smoking is simple: give it up.

Quick Tip

Each year, millions of Americans need blood transfusions due to traumatic injuries, diseases such as cancer, or blood conditions such as infants born with Rh disease, among other causes. Healthy individuals can donate blood every eight weeks to help with the growing need for blood supplies. If you have safety concerns, no need to fret. “Under federal law, needles and equipment used in the blood donation process can’t be reused, even on the same patient,” says Ira Shulman, M.D., professor in the Department of Pathology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “Everything is brand new.” To find a blood donation center near you, visit www.givelife.org.