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Smoking Kills: Facts

Approximately 46 million people in America smoke cigarettes, according to a 2009 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These numbers persist despite the fact that the ill effects of smoking are well advertised.

  1. Cancer Causers

    • Cigarettes contain 4,800 chemicals, and 69 of them can cause cancer, according to the American Lung Association. Smoking also has been linked to diseases of the lungs and heart, as well as strokes.

    Death Rates

    • Smoking-related diseases cause around 4 million deaths a year, according to the World Health Organization. This means smoking kills one person every eight seconds. If the number of people smoking continues unabated, the death toll could be as high as 10 million people by 2020.

    Secondhand Smoke

    • Smoking can have a profound effect on people who do not smoke themselves. Smoking while pregnant can cause premature labor and a baby with low birth weight. Secondhand smoke, where a nonsmoker inhales the cigarette smoke of another person, is also a risk. Some 3,400 annual deaths in the United States due to cancer are the result of secondary smoking, the American Lung Association reports.

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