Tobacco contains over 4,000 chemicals including 43 cancer-causing compounds. Nicotine is the addictive substance in tobacco. Cigarette smoke also contains other toxins like formaldehyde, ammonia, arsenic and pesticides which are linked to various cancers and birth defects. The three most heavily advertised cigarette brands, Marlboro, Newport, and Camel, are most popular among youth smokers. Tobacco use kills over 440,000 Americans each year, more than died in WWII and Vietnam combined, with the average smoker starting at age 15 and becoming a daily smoker by 18.

1. Tobacco By: Kevin Formalarie

2. Ingredients Nicotine is a clear, naturally occurring liquid found in several species of plants, including tobacco and, perhaps surprisingly, in tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants .A poisonous alkaloid, nicotine at high dosages has been used in everything from insecticides to darts designed to bring down elephants.4 Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known cancer-causing compounds and 400 other toxins. These include nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide, as well as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, and DDT.

3. Ingredients Fungicides and pesticides -- Cause many types of cancers and birth defects. Cadmium -- Linked to lung and prostate cancer. Benzene -- Linked to leukemia. Formaldehyde -- Linked to lung cancer. Nickel -- Causes increased susceptibility to lung infections

4. Major Brands 87% of youth smokers smoke the three most heavily advertised brands Philip Morris’ Marlboro, Lorillard’s Newport, and R.J. Reynolds’ Camel 55% of youth smokers prefer Marlboro – compared to less than half of adult smokers who prefer these brands.

5. Stats A person dies every 10 seconds from tobacco-related causes. · The average smoker begins by age 15, and is a daily smoker by age 18. Every year, tobacco use kills more Americans than World War II and the Vietnam War combined. That’s more than 440,000 smoking-related deaths every year — the equivalent of three 747s being downed every day without any survivors.

6. Stats Each year, more than five million years of life could have been saved if every person who died that year from tobacco use had lived to their average life expectancy. Every year, 77.4 million packs of cigarettes are bought or smoked by youth.