WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH TOBACCO

WHAT’S THE
DEAL WITH TOBACCO?
KEEPING YOU POSTED ON CIGS AND OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS. In the U.S., cigarette smoking causes 480,000 deaths per year. Nearly one of every five deaths in the U.S. is caused by a smoking-related disease. Bounce around this page to see what’s in cigs and other tobacco products and how they can affect your health.
WHAT’S REALLY IN
CIGARETTES?
Cigarettes contain all sorts of nasty chemicals that can slow down your grind. Cigarette smoke contains a toxic mix of more than 7,000 chemicals—more than 70 can cause cancer.
CHECK OUT SOME OF THE CHEMICALS IN CIGARETTE SMOKE:
CARBON MONOXIDE
Which is found in car exhaust
ARSENIC
Which is used in pesticides
FORMALDEHYDE
Which is used to preserve dead bodies
BENZENE
Which is found in gasoline
CADMIUM
Which is found in batteries
HYDROGEN CYANIDE
Which is used in chemical weapons
POLONIUM-210
Which is radioactive
LEAD
Which is banned in paint
AMMONIA
Which is found in household cleaning products
THE DEATH TOLL
Tobacco use takes the lives of people every day and is the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the U.S. In the U.S., tobacco use kills more than 480,000 Americans every year - that’s more than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, homicides, suicides, illegal drugs, and fires combined. Every day, more than 1,300 people die because of cigarette use. But smokers aren’t just dying, they’re dying sooner. Check this out - On average, they die at least 10 years younger than non-smokers.

HITTING UP YOUR HEALTH
CIGARETTE SMOKING CAN CAUSE LONG-TERM HEALTH DAMAGE. IN THE U.S., MORE THAN 16 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE AT LEAST ONE DISEASE CAUSED BY SMOKING. CHECK UP ON THE DETAILS OF WHAT TOBACCO COULD DO TO YOUR HEALTH.
A lot of people think of the word “cancer” when they hear about tobacco use. That’s probably because 1 out of 3 cancer deaths in the U.S. is linked to smoking. See, smoking damages your DNA, which can lead to cancer almost anywhere in your body. Smoking can also cause:
Lung function to decline, even as a teen or young adult
Impaired lung growth during childhood and adolescence
Inflammation and cell damage throughout the body, which can weaken the immune system, making it less efficient at fighting off illnesses
Heart attack and stroke
Type 2 Diabetes
Emphysema
Coughing, phlegm, wheezing, and shortness of breath

SECONDHAND SMOKE
Even if you don’t smoke cigs, you could be breathing in the same deadly mix just by hanging around people who do. Your lil bro or sis can be affected, too. You see, secondhand smoke contains a toxic mix of more than 7,000 chemicals, including many that are known to cause cancer.
ABOUT 4 OUT OF 10 NON-SMOKERS IN THIS COUNTRY ARE EXPOSED TO SECONDHAND SMOKE.
ABOUT HALF OF U.S. CHILDREN AGES 3-11 ARE EXPOSED TO SECONDHAND SMOKE.
SECONDHAND SMOKE CAUSES MORE THAN 40,000 DEATHS PER YEAR IN THE U.S., INCLUDING MORE THAN 7,000 LUNG CANCER DEATHS AND MORE THAN 30,000 CORONARY HEART DISEASE DEATHS.
SECONDHAND SMOKE CAUSES RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES IN CHILDREN.
THERE IS NO SAFE LEVEL OF EXPOSURE TO SECONDHAND SMOKE. EVEN A SHORT TIME IN A SMOKY ROOM CAN FADE YOUR HEALTH.
NO SAFE TOBACCO
WHAT ABOUT OTHER TYPES OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS, LIKE HOOKAH (ALSO KNOWN AS WATERPIPE) AND CIGARILLOS? CHECK THIS, THEY’RE HARMFUL TOO. USING TOBACCO PRODUCTS CAN LEAD TO NICOTINE ADDICTION AND EXPOSE YOU TO TOXIC, CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICALS.
Cigars, cigarillos, little cigars- no matter their size, shape or packaging-all of these products can cause addiction and pose health risks.
Smoking tobacco through hookah (waterpipe) exposes you to many of the same toxic chemicals that are in cigarette smoke.
In fact, research shows that hookah smokers may absorb even more of the toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke because smoking sessions are longer. A typical 1-hour hookah session can produce as much smoke as smoking 100 cigarettes.
BOTTOM-LINE: THERE IS NO SAFE TOBACCO.