2. There are about 4000 chemicals in tobacco, and out of
the 100 identified poisons, 63 are known to cause
cancer
Nicotine is an addictive drug that takes only 6 seconds
to reach your brain
Smoking kills more people than
cocaine, heroin, alcohol, fire automobile
accidents, homicides, suicides, and AIDS combined.
Every 8 seconds, someone in the world dies from a
tobacco related illness
More than 3 million people under the age of 18 smoke
about a ½ billion cigarettes each year, over half of those
people consider themselves dependent on cigarettes
3. Smoking is responsible for every 1 out of 5 American
deaths
About 430,000 people die needlessly every year from
smoking, which means smoking kills about 1,200
people every day
A person who smokes dies an average 7 years earlier
than someone who doesn’t smoke
Kids who smoke experience changes in the lungs, and
reduced lung growth. They risk not achieving normal
lung function as an adult
4. Here Are Some Ingredients Found In Tobacco:
Arsenic (used in rat poison)
Acetic Acid (hair dye and photo developer)
Acetone (main ingredient in paint and fingernail polish remover)
Ammonia (typical household cleaner)
Benzene (rubber cement()
Cadmium (found in batters & artists’ oil paint)
Carbon Monoxide (poison)
Hydrazine (used in fuel for jet ad rockets)
Formaldehyde (used to embalm dead bodies)
Naphthalene (used in explosives, moth balls, and paint pigments)
Nickel (used in the process of electroplating)
Polonium Radiation Dosage (equal to 30 chest X-rays in 1 year
5. Peer Pressure
They think it’s “cool”
Their parents smoke
Because they want to be skinny (fashion)
Because they find it relaxing
Rebellion
6. Decision to start smoking is almost always made in the
teen years
Smoking is the # 1 preventable cause for premature
death
90% of adult smokers are addicted to tobacco before
they reach the age of 18, 50% are addicted before the
age of 14, and currently the age of initiation to tobacco
is 11.
7. An estimated 3000 non-smoking Americans die of lung
cancer every year
Kids who have 2 smoking parents are more likely to become
smokers than the kids who have non-smoking parents
Among infants up to 18 months of age, secondhand smoke is
associated with as many as 300,000 cases of bronchitis and
pneumonia every year.
Secondhand smoke from a parent's cigarette increases a
child's chances for middle ear problems, causes coughing
and wheezing, and worsens asthma conditions.
Pregnant women who smoke are more likely to deliver
babies whose weights are too low for the babies' good
health. If all women quit smoking during pregnancy, about
4,000 new babies would not die each year.
8. Smoking can cause chronic lung disease, coronary
heart disease, and stroke
It can cause cancers of: cervix, pancreas, kidneys
Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to
give birth to babies with low birth weight
Nicotine causes short-term increase in blood
pressure, heart rate, and flow of blood from the heart
Arteries narrow
9.
10. To live longer
Better breath
You’ll save a lot of money
You’ll be around to see your grand children
You won’t harm people around you
You’ll cough less
You won’t have to hide the habit from family
You’ll be able to smell and taste food better
Your teeth will become whiter
You’ll have a smaller chance of getting emphysema
11. Set a date for quitting
If you feel like smoking, chew on gum or suck on hard
candy instead
Keep yourself busy and occupied
Change your morning routine
Put away your ash trays and cigarettes
Eat regular meals
Tell friends and family you’ve decided to quit, and tell
them why
Reward yourself at the end of the day by going to a
movie or out for dinner
