GET THE FACTS

Smoking Facts

70% of current smokers would like to quit. Smoking is associated with a host of other risky behaviours, such as fighting and engaging in unprotected sex. Teens who smoke are 3 times more likely than non-smokers to use alcohol, 8 times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use hard drugs. Smoking kills almost six times as many people as road and other accidents, suicide, murder, manslaughter, poisoning, overdoses and HIV put together.

42% of children in the UK live in households with a least one smoker. Children living in our most deprived communities are more likely to be exposed to tobacco smoke in the home (54%) compared with those from more affluent households (18%). Smoking around anyone is bad for the other persons health, but this is especially so in children.

50% of teenagers who continue to smoke will eventually die from tobacco related illnesses.

Every day over 300 smokers die as a result of their habit.

Smoking myths

A lot of people put off giving up because they've heard of the side effects. In fact most of these don't have any truth behind them:

• Cigarettes makes you relaxed. In fact, smoking actually speeds up your heart rate.
  
  
• Giving up means you'll put on lots of weight. You may start eating more when you're giving up, but poor diet and lack of excercise is why people put on weight. Most people who give up plan a healthy diet and exercise as part of healthier lifestyles.
  
  
• You might think that you'll give up when you're a bit older, but the longer you carry on smoking, the harder it will be to quit.
  
  
• The only way smoking makes you look older is by giving your wrinkles at an early age.

The Economics of Smoking

• In 2003, approximately one billion cigarettes were smoked by young people under the age of 16yrs. This means that young people in the U.K spent about 200 million pounds on cigarettes (£35 million profit).
  
  
• The 1,154,000,000 cigarettes smoked by 11 to 15 year old children during 1994 cost £135 million and provided £108 million in tax revenue for the Government. This is more than 30 times the amount the Government spent to try and reduce the number of children smoking.
  
  
• A large porportion of tobacco grown in Europe is unmarketable and is sold at extremely low prices to Eastern Europe and developing countries.
  
  
• The Western world has six major tobacco companies, these are Rothmans, BAT Industries, Imperial Tobacco, Phillip Morris, R.J. Reynolds and American Brands. The first three of these are based in Britain.
  
  
• The increasing use of machinery has seen a reduction in the number of people employed by the tobacco companies. In the UK in 1979 40,000 were employed, by 1996 only 13,800 were employed. This represents a reduction of 72% in the number of people employed. During the same period there was a reduction in the number of cigarettes consumed in the UK by 22% and the amount of cigarettes exported from the UK actually grew.

How much does it cost?

Look how much smoking costs per day, per week and per year! Think what better things you could be spending your money on!

The Health Costs of Smoking

• £1.7 billion is spent by the National Health Service (NHS) treating tobacco related diseases per year.
  
  
• Tobacco also costs the Yorkshire and Humber economy £1.1 billion per year.
  
  
• Every day an average of 9,500 beds are occupied by people suffering from smoking related diseases.
  
  
• Every year 285,000 people are admitted to NHS hospitals to be treated for diseases related to smoking.
  
  
• The British industry loses at least 50 million working days every year from smoking related sick leave.

Smoking and the Environment

• To cure the tobacco that a smoker consumes in two weeks it takes the wood from one tree.
  
  
• Tobacco growers use large amounts of pesticides and fertilizers (more then they would be allowed to use on food crops) to speed the growing process. These chemicals can get into drinking water, animals in the environment and other crops. Some of the chemicals in these pesticides cause cancer.
  
  
• Tobacco takes up nutrients from the soil faster than any other crop. This makes the land less fertile for growing other crops.
  
  
• British smokers throw away about 20 million cigarette packets and about 300 million butts (cigarette ends) every day. Many of these end up adding litter to our streets.
  
  
• Tobacco contains additives which help to keep the cigarette alight, which increases the risk of fire from discarded cigarettes.
  
  
• Some fires are started by children playing with matches and cigarette lighters which are left lying around the household.
  
  
• Many of those who die in fires are children under five years old.

Smoking and Disease

• The number of people dying each year from smoking related diseases is equivalent to about 330 people each day, 106,000 every year.
  
  
• Approximately half of all regular cigarette smokers will eventually be killed by their habit.
  
  
• The risk of having a heart attack is two or three times greater in smokers than non-smokers.
  
  
• Smoking is the cause of about 90% of peripheral vascular disease which leeds to about 2,000 leg amputations each year.
  
  
• Smokers who smoke between 1 and 14 cigarettes a day have 8 times the risk of dying from lung cancer compared to non-smokers. This risk increases the more smoked, with those who smoke over 25 cigarettes a day having 25 times this risk.
  
  
• 30% of all cancer deaths are attributed to smoking.
  
  
• Cancers linked to smoking include lung cancer, cervical cancer, cancers of the mouth lip and throat, cancer of the pancreas, bladder cancer, stomach cancer, cancer of the kidney and liver cancer.
  
  
• Smoking causes approximately 82% of all deaths from lung cancer, 83% of all deaths from bronchitis and emphysema and about 25% of all deaths from heart disease.

Why is smoking so harmful?

Nicotine
is a highly addictive drug which stimulates the nervous system and causes the heart rate and blood pressure to increase. It also narrows blood vessels and so reduces the blood supply to the heart and the brain. The tightening up of the small blood vessels under the skin causes wrinkles.

Tar
is a brown, sticky substance that contains many poisonous chemicals which can cause cancers. Tar gets deposited in the lungs and damages the small hairs (called cilia) which clean the lungs. Tar is also an irritant causing coughing and chronic chest problems.

Carbon monoxide
is a poisonous gas with no smell. It is found in car exhaust fumes, leaking gas heaters and burning cigarettes. Carbon monoxide prevents the blood taking up oxygen from the lungs. If you smoke 20 cigarettes a day you will have around 10% less oxygen in your body. This leads to low energy levels, shortness of breath and tiredness. If a smoker is pregnant her baby may not get enough oxygen to grow this can lead to Low Birth Weight (LBW), Sudden Infant Death syndrome (SIDS), poor lung function and asthma.

The Health Risks

People who smoke regularly are more likely to develop certain illnesses when they get older. These include lung cancer, heart disease and emphysema. It can also reduce fertility.

Although nicotine is the thing that makes cigarettes addictive, it's the other chemicals in the smoke that damage your health.

There are also other physical effects of smoking that happen no matter how old you are, including:

• Damaged taste buds
• Ageing of the skin
• Stained teeth
• Smelly clothes
• Gum disease leading to loss of teeth
• Yellow finger tips

Although these are not killers, they're not exactly pleasant

The effects of secondhand smoke (passive smoking)

Breathing in the smoke from other people’s cigarettes is called secondhand smoke (passive smoking). It consists of smoke from the burning part of the cigarette and is known as side-stream smoke. The smoke inhaled and exhaled by the smoker is called mainstream smoke. Research has shown that secondhand smoke is capable of causing cancer in humans. Approximately half the children in England live in houses with at least one smoker, and unlike adults, young children have no choice about being exposed to tobacco smoke. Secondhand smoke is linked to the following:

• Irritation to eyes, nose and throat
  
  
• Headache, dizziness and sickness
  
  
• Aggravation of asthma and other allergies
  
  
• Increased risk of coronary heart disease
  
  
• A 10-30% increased risk of lung cancer for non-smokers who are exposed to passive smoking over long periods of time

The effects of secondhand smoke (passive smoking) on babies and young children include:

• Increased acute respiratory illness in early childhood
• Chronic cough, phlegm and wheeze
• Chronic middle ear infections
• Reduced levels and growth of lung function
• Increased prevalence of lung cancer
• Increased likelihood of low-birth weight and decreased attained height
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• Cognitive and behavioural problems

About 42% of children in the U.K. live in a home where a parent or parents smoke, so it's important to:

• Keep playing and eating areas smokefree
• NEVER smoke in the house
• Better still, ask smokers to smoke outside
• Ask visitors to follow these measures
• Keep cars smokefree