Michael Gordon

At the cellular level, nicotine and other chemicals damage DNA and alter the cell’s metabolism, some tissues are more susceptible than others.

Cigarette smoking is associated with reduced bone mineral density... by Michael Gordon

Cigarette smoking is associated with reduced bone mineral density and increased fracture risk.

This is how cigarette use complicates bone healing in fractures, and decreases fusion rates in spine surgery patients, and increases osteoporosis and fracture rates in smokers versus nonsmokers.

The earlier an individual is exposed to smoke, the longer the smoke has time to create an adverse effect.

Infants, toddlers and young children have lung tissue that is many times more sensitive to the deleterious effect of the particulates in cigarette smoke.

The only message that is appropriate for smokers is that this is the leading cause of preventable death.

Warm air in the cold season, middle of the night -- this sickens me to see what has happened, look at the pictures on your screens. Homes, totally impaled, two-by-fours through cars, eighteen-wheelers thrown 30 feet moved in the northwesterly direction -- that takes a lot of force.

It's kind of hard to talk about. ... They're digging in that rubble by hand right now.