THE TRUTH ABOUT SMOKING

THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF A SMOKER
IS ABOUT 10 YEARS LESS
THAN A NONSMOKER. THERE ARE MORE THAN 7000
CHEMICALS IN CIGARETTE SMOKE. NINE OUT OF TEN SMOKERS
START BEFORE THE AGE OF 18. MORE THAN 2100 TEENAGERS
TURN INTO SMOKERS DAILY. SMOKING CAUSES MORE THAN 5 MILLION DEATHS
EVERY YEAR WORLDWIDE. SMOKING CAUSES CANCER, HEART DISEASE,
STROKE, DIABETES AND LUNG DISEASES. EACH DAY IN THE U.S., ABOUT 1600 TEENS
LIGHT UP THEIR FIRST CIGARETTE. THE NICOTINE IN CIGARETTES IS ADDICTIVE. EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT YOUTH MAY BE MORE
SENSITIVE TO NICOTINE THAN ADULTS
AND CAN FEEL DEPENDENT
ON NICOTINE PRODUCTS SOONER. TOBACCO IS THE LEADING
PREVENTABLE CAUSE OF DEATH WORLDWIDE.

Whether the tobacco product is smoked, smokeless, or electronic, any form of tobacco is unsafe for teens. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), if smoking continues at current rates, 1 out of every 13 of today’s young people will die prematurely from a smoking-related illness.

Smoking harms nearly every organ in your body and leads to disease and disability. Not only the smoker is at risk, however; secondhand smoke also impacts others and leads to health risks for those who have never even picked up a cigarette.

Find out the truth about smoking

Occasional smoking is just as bad

Every single cigarette you smoke will do damage; and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco.

Even an occasional cigarette can cause heart attacks and strokes.

Less than four cigarettes daily can double your risk of dying from heart disease or cause an early death.

Light/"Lite" cigarettes are not safer

Smoking “lighter” cigarettes will not prevent the negative side effects of smoking.

A light cigarette delivers as much tar to a smoker as a regular cigarette.

Although manufacturers are not allowed to label cigarettes as light, you can still find these products on the shelves.

It is never too late to quit

No matter how long you have smoked, quitting will improve your health and your quality of life.

After quitting, your heart rate and blood pressure will decrease and your lungs will function more efficiently.

After one year of not smoking, your chance of developing a heart disease will drop to half that of a smoker.

After 5 to 15 years, your chance of having a stroke will match that of a nonsmoker.

Exposure to secondhand smoke harms both smoker and non-smoker

There are more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke.

Tobacco smoke contains about 70 cancer-causing (carcinogenic) chemicals.

Exposure to secondhand smoke can result in heart disease, lung cancer, and stroke.

Research has shown a link between secondhand smoke and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death).

What kind of smoker are you? Take the quiz HERE

Sponsored by Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency- Public Health Branch in conjunction with Shasta County Tobacco Education Coalition. These partners are committed to protecting our community from the harmful health and economic effects of tobacco and secondhand smoke.