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Facts About Smoking & Secondhand Smoke

Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and is the top cause of preventable premature death in the United States. Smoking causes disease and death in both smokers and nonsmokers.

  1. Significance

    • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more deaths are caused annually by tobacco use than by illegal drug and alcohol use, auto accidents, suicides, murders and HIV combined. Over 400,000 people die annually in the United States from causes linked to cigarette smoking.

    Effects

    • According to the CDC, smokers are up to four times more likely than non-smokers to develop coronary heart disease. Smoking also causes significantly increased risk of stroke, cancer and chronic obstructive lung disease.

    Smoking and Teens

    • According to the American Lung Association, half of adults who smoke were already hooked by the age of 18. Each day more than 3,000 teens between the ages of 12 and 17 smoke their first cigarette.

    Secondhand Smoke

    • According to the American Heart Association, approximately 46,000 nonsmokers die each year from coronary heart disease caused by exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is also responsible for approximately 3,000 deaths from lung cancer annually.

    Quitting Smoking

    • According to the Oncology Channel, most successful ex-smokers tried to quit an average of seven times before they succeeded.

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