SMOKING

Smoking Facts

• Every 13 seconds someone dies from tobacco use.
• There are over 430,000 deaths caused by smoking each year in the U.S.
• Smoking risks include diminished or extinguished sense of smell and taste, frequent colds, premature and more abundant face wrinkles, gastric ulcers, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, stroke, heart disease, and cancer of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, lungs, pancreas, cervix, uterus, and bladder.
• Smokers who have a heart attack have less of a chance for survival than a person who does not smoke.
• Smokers expose themselves to some 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke and 40 of these chemicals cause cancer.
• Smoking causes nearly 90% of all lung and throat cancers.
• Men who smoke are 22 times more likely than non-smokers to develop lung cancer, while women are 12 times more likely.
• Lung cancer, already the number one cause of cancer mortality in American men, has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cancer of American women.
• Taking the contraceptive pill combined with smoking increases the risks of heart attacks and strokes by almost ten times.
• The National Health Interview Survey in 2000 showed that 76% of women smokers between 12 and 24 say they feel dependent on cigarettes. Among those who have tried to quit smoking during the 12 months preceding the survey, 82 % were unable to do so.
• Babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to be underweight or premature. They also tend to be sick more often, cry more and sleep less than babies born to non-smoking mothers.
• Encouraging non-smoking among new mothers led to a 50% reduction in the prevalence of persistent lower respiratory symptoms in their babies.
• Three-quarters of the adults who currently smoke started their habit before the age of 21.
• Age 13 is when the average teen has his or her first whole cigarette. By age 14 half have started to inhale. By 15, half have bought their first pack of cigarettes.
• It is estimated that every cigarette a person smokes takes about 12 minutes off his or her life.
• Even if you smoke only a cigarette a day, it can be harmful.
• One non-smoker dies of secondhand smoke for every eight smokers.
• Passive smoke kills some 53,000 Americans each year, making it the 3rd leading cause of preventable death.
• Chewing tobacco has a high sugar content and users have more tooth and root decay in addition to gum disease.
• Nine out of ten smokers say they want to quit.
• The number of Americans who have quit smoking is rising steadily. To date, 36 million Americans have quit smoking.
• In the US, 1.5 million people quit smoking each year, but as many as 50 million continue to smoke.
• Cigarettes are the most heavily advertised products in the U.S.--Tobacco companies spend over $5,000 per minute.

Smoking Damage Can Be Reversed

Cost of Smoking Calculator

Based on $12.00 per pack of cigarettes*

*Average price in New York City in 2011

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