Tobacco Facts
- The Tobacco Industry Spends $443 million dollars annually in New York State to promote its deadly products.
- During 1995-1999, smoking caused approximately 440,000 premature deaths in the United States annually, leading to 13.2 years of potential life lost for male smokers, and 14.5 years lost for female smokers.
- The list of diseases caused by smoking has been expanded to include:
These are in addition to diseases previously known to be caused by smoking, including bladder, esophageal, laryngeal, lung, oral, and throat cancers, chronic lung diseases, coronary heart and cardiovascular diseases, as well as reproductive effects and sudden infant death syndrome.- abdominal aortic aneurysm - acute myeloid leukemia - cataract - cervical cancer - kidney cancer - pancreatic cancer - pneumonia - periodontitis - stomach cancer - Women who smoke are at an increased risk for infertility. Studies have shown that smoking makes it more difficult for women to become pregnant.
- Risk for having a baby in the smallest 5% to 10% of birth weights is as high as 2.5 times greater for pregnant smokers
- Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Coronary heart disease results from atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries.
- In 2003, an estimated 1.1 million Americans had a new or recurrent coronary attack.
- Smoking low-tar or low-nicotine cigarettes rather than regular cigarettes appears to have little effect on reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.
- Cigarette smoke contains over 4,700 chemical compounds including 60 known carcinogens. No threshold level of exposure to cigarette smoke has been defined but there is conclusive evidence to indicate that long-term (years) smoking greatly increases the likelihood of developing numerous fatal conditions.
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Acetone is one of the chemicals in cigarettes. Acetone is used as solvent, for example in nail polish remover. Cadmium is a very poisonous metal, commonly used to make batteries. "Repeated or long-term exposure to cadmium, even at relatively low concentrations, may result in kidney damage and an increased risk of cancer of the lung and of the prostate." US EPA Formaldehyde is used to preserve dead bodies. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen in cigarette smoke, and also causes respiratory and gastrointestinal problems. Hydrogen cyanide is one of the most toxic deadly chemicals in cigarettes, chemicals in tobacco, poisons in cigarettes, and poisons in tobacco. Short-term exposure to hydrogen cyanide can lead to headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. |
Lead is a highly toxic metal, capable of causing serious damage to the brain, kidneys, nervous system and red blood cells. "Children are particularly vulnerable because lead is more easily absorbed into growing bodies and the tissues of small children are sensitive to its effects. Mercury vapour is another of the poisonous deadly chemicals in cigarettes, chemicals in tobacco, poisons in cigarettes, and poisions in tobacco. Inhaling mercury vapour may lead to shakiness, memory loss and kidney disease. Nickel causes increased susceptibility to lung infections. |
Want to find out more?
Click the links below for the latest information:
- American Lung Assocation
http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=22542 - American Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp - Center for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/doc.do/id/0900F3EC80234993 - The Great American Smokeout
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/ped_10_4.asp - Smoke-Free Movies
http://smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu/ - Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
http://www.tobaccofreekids.org