What Are the Symptoms of COPD?
People with COPD may experience a range of symptoms, including:
- Chronic cough
- Shortness of breath
- Frequent respiratory infections
- Fatigue and wheezing
Smoking is the primary cause of COPD and emphysema, responsible for nearly 80% of all diagnosed cases. Tobacco smoke contains harmful chemicals that inflame and weaken lung tissue, leading to irreversible lung damage. Over time, this destruction severely impairs lung function, making it difficult for individuals to perform even basic daily activities.
For many smokers and former smokers, a COPD or emphysema diagnosis is a direct consequence of tobacco use—a reality that tobacco companies knew about long before public health warnings became widespread.
How Tobacco Companies May Be Liable for COPD and Emphysema
Many former smokers suffering from COPD today were never given an honest warning about what smoking would do to their lungs. While researchers had long linked tobacco use to severe respiratory diseases, manufacturers actively suppressed this knowledge, ensuring their customers remained addicted. The result? A preventable epidemic of irreversible lung damage, high medical costs, and premature deaths.
Tobacco companies may be held legally responsible for COPD and emphysema cases based on several legal theories, including:
- Concealment of health risks: Internal documents from some of the nation’s major tobacco companies reveal that they were aware of the dangers of smoking yet actively hid this information from the public.
- Misrepresentation of cigarette safety: Many cigarette brands were marketed as “light” or “low tar,” misleading consumers into believing these products were safer alternatives despite offering no real health benefits.
- Targeting minors and vulnerable populations: The tobacco industry spent decades designing advertisements that appealed to young people, ensuring lifelong customers despite the clear dangers.
- Manipulation of nicotine content: Manufacturers adjusted nicotine levels to maximize addiction, making it difficult for smokers to quit and exposing them to prolonged health risks.
To successfully pursue legal action, victims must establish a direct link between their COPD or emphysema diagnosis and prolonged tobacco use. Demonstrating this link requires extensive medical evidence, scientific testimony, and documentation of smoking history, all of which are best handled by an experienced attorney.
