Medical members: Did 9/11 kill Peter Jennings?

[Bluebear]

I quit two years ago and it is the hardest thing I have ever done. I know Jennings mentioned he had quit but "admitted to relapsing on 9/11". Question: could this relapse after a long quit exacerbate any prior damage? Did 9/11 take his life too in a strange way?

Those of us who quit always worry about a time bomb going off in us. But when I started, "everyone" smoked. I urge my little DU brothers and sisters in their teens and twenties to please try giving it up NOW. We need your progressive voices now and into the far future! :hug:

[BrklynLiberal]

1. It probably did ...either directly or indirectly.

The added stress and the going back to smoking was not exactly a good thing for his health.

[Cleita]

2. No matter how hard the time bomb is, once you quit

smoking, you can never have even just one. You are better off getting drunk or taking pills, but don't smoke or you will be back on that nicotine merry-go-round again. I got through my husband's death without relapsing and that was the one thing I thought would do it. You can stay away from the nicotine habit.

[Bluebear]

4. Truer words never spoken.

I remember that when I think of smokin'.

Hey a poem. (Don't mind me.) I am sorry you lost your mate, you are right if you got through that you can get through anything. :hug:

[Lex]

3. I wondered too how quitting and then re-starting

might've been a shock to his system or something.

My Dad quit smoking when I was in high school and I'm 40 now and I still worry about lung cancer for him. He promised me he wouldn't start back and he was very attentive to the Peter Jennings story on his re-starting smoking.

[AuntPatsy]

5. You can't be serious?

[Lex]

6. Why? He was a long-time smoker who had stopped and then

re-started.

Re-starting smoking couldn't have been very good for his lungs.

[AuntPatsy]

7. (sigh) 9/11 did not kill Jennings, cancer did, its that simple.

[Lex]

9. Oh, well of course cancer killed him.

He re-started smoking on 9/11, but in and of itself 9/11 didn't kill him.

People did die of things later that 9/11 set into motion, however.

[AuntPatsy]

10. Now that I can agree with, but it did not kill Jennings.

[Bluebear]

8. No I was joking hahaha.

Yes I know cancer killed him, he mentioned he started again on 9/11. Have you smoked and quit? Many of us wonder what kind of time bomb is in us even though we stopped.

[AuntPatsy]

11. Since I know personaly people that have had cancer of many different types

it really bothers me when people put such an emphasis on smoking kills, we can go on all night about just about everything man utilizes that is suspected of causing cancer....

Why do we always have to fear death so much? We live, we die, end up of story, medical science can keep one alive longer these days but the means to do such does not leave one to believe that life in such a state would be worth living...

[merh]

13. Well, what about the particles that remained in the air after the

towers collapsed? Many first responders and others that were in the vicinity have respiratory problems now. If he was in the area after 9/11, did that aggravate his lungs?

It is not that outrageous of a question. And I agree with you, we live, we die and we shouldn't expect more than that. I, for one, do not want to live to be 100. But, that does not make the OP's question unreasonable.

[Maru Kitteh]

16. Because it's an especially ugly way to die prematurely

that is totally preventable, that's why.

[JDPriestly]

19. 50% of smokers who die of smoking related causes

That is what I read in recent articles at the death of the man who discovered the statistical correlation between smoking and various illnesses. Smoking is related to so many diseases, it is amazing. The rate of bladder cancers, for example, is much higher than smokers. Not smoking or quitting smoking are two of the best things you can do for your health. Other substances can cause cancer and other damage, but none of them come near tobacco in detrimental effects.

[shifting_sands]

12. NY

I expect that after years of smoking and weakened lungs, the pollution of 9/11 would have accelerated any weakness already there. I think there are probably quite a few deaths in NY related to 9/11 and lung damage.

[Bluebear]

14. And the White House edited the EPA's 9/11 report

WASHINGTON -- At the White House's direction, the Environmental Protection Agency gave New Yorkers misleading assurances that there was no health risk from the debris-laden air after the World Trade Center collapse, according to an internal inquiry.

President Bush's senior environmental adviser yesterday defended the White House involvement, saying it was justified by national security.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/136350_epa23.html

[uppityperson]

15. Probably exacerbated his lung cancer.

Direct link? Who knows. Stress, smoking, asbestos exposure all can contribute to lung cancer. If you have a small problem, this could start it up again. I wouldn't be at all suprised if it contributed.

Stop now. Don't start again. If you do start, stop again.

[fujiyama]

17. In a way I suppose

How many years had he quit smoking before 9/11 and how many years had he been smoking before that?

Also, if the question is did the air quality have an affect on his lungs. That would depend on how far to ground zero he lived.

[Bluebear]

18. I don't know how long he had quit...

But since the White House changed the EPA report about 9/11, how many of the people who live around there may be affected and were lied to about air quality?

[SheilaT]

20. Lung cancer usually takes

many years to develop. So while going back to smoking wasn't very good, Jennings probably had the lung cancer before 9/11. It may have been accelerated somewhat by resuming smoking, but odds are he already had it.

One of the terrible things about lung cancer is that by the time it's found on x-rays it's generally inoperable. Which is why it so often kills.

I've never smoked, so I realize I can't possibly understand, but I'm completely flabbergasted by the people who successfully stay off cigarettes for years, and then resume because of "stress". I'm putting the word stress in quotes because we all have stress in our lives, and I'm seriously appalled that some people thinking going back to a stupid, expensive, wasteful, life-destroying habit is an appropriate response to stress.

I know, I just don't understand.

[Mairead]

21. "people who resume because of "stress""

I smoked til age 30, about 12 years more or less. Then the warnings came out and I decided that if I didn't want to die of lung cancer, I'd better stop. So I stopped. And it was a very miserable experience!

I started up again about a year later for some reason, but quit again after 2-3 weeks because I couldn't lie to myself about what I was doing. I've never gone back since, even though it took a good ten years to completely extinguish the addiction-based desire for 'just one more'.

I know that until I did fully shake off the addictive effects I remained vulnerable to re-starting. I would imagine that's when and why other people re-start too.

[SheilaT]

22. Good for you for

getting back off the death sticks. As I said, since I've never smoked I know I can't possibly understand.

[Mairead]

23. Thanks, Sheila. It was a bugger to do, but I've never regretted it (nt)

[liberalpragmatist]

25. Apprently Obama picked smoking back up during his campaign

I really hope he quits. I know I might be acting paranoid, but I do want to see him as president one day. Let's hope he isn't a heavy smoker and/or quits again and stays off.

[Stephanie]

24. I started smoking again on 9/11 too.

It was the second thing I did, after withdrawing all my money from the bank so I could flee Manhattan if necessary. After that I bought cigarettes. Then I went home and cleaned my house in case refugees arrived. Then I started packing just in case.

[Mnemosyne]

26. Did he live in NY? If so he was

breathing air that was the equivalent of draino after 9/11. Many are ill.
EPA lied about the air quality. Don't know if this would cause cancer, but it couldn't be healthy.

[fresh1966]

27. Peter Jennings - September 11th, 2001

If anyone's interested. I've just posted the network footage of the first 5+ continuous hours of ABC News with Peter Jennings' coverage of the events of September 11th, beginning several minutes before the news hit the airwaves:

http://www.mininova.org/tor/87977

If you know anything about bit torrents, it's a 1 GB torrent file, so it may take a while to download at first.