Tobacco Facts

Second-hand Smoke Facts

• There are over 4,000 chemicals in second-hand smoke. At least 50 are known to cause cancer. Some of the chemicals found in second-hand smoke are formaldehyde, benzene, arsenic, lead, carbon monoxide, nicotine, hydrogen cyanide and butane. (1)
   

• Smoke from the burning end of a cigarette has more harmful chemicals in it than the smoke inhaled directly by a smoker through a filtered cigarette. However, the smoker breathes in both the filtered and the non-filtered smoke. (2)
   

• It takes over three hours for 95% of the smoke from one cigarette to leave a room. (3)
   

• No known ventilation system removes all the harmful chemicals found in second-hand smoke. (4)
   

• Each year in Canada more than 1,000 people die from illnesses related to second-hand smoke. (5)
   

• Second-hand smoke is known to cause heart disease, lung cancer, and emphysema. (6)
   

• Second-hand smoke has also been linked to cancer of the sinuses, brain, breast, uterus, cervix, and thyroid, as well as leukemia and lymphoma. (7)
   

• Exposure to second-hand smoke can double a non-smoker's risk of having a stroke. (8)
   

Second-hand Smoke and Children

• Second-hand smoke can slow the growth and development of an unborn baby, resulting in low birth weight and a greater likelihood of problems during pregnancy and delivery. (9)
   

• Children who breathe second-hand smoke get more coughs, pneumonia, ear infections, and bronchitis. (10)
   

• Infants exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also known as crib death. (11)
   

• Exposure to second-hand smoke puts children at greater risk of developing asthma. (12)
   

Tobacco’s Effect on Health

• Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of premature death, disease and disability in Ontario. Every half hour, someone dies from tobacco related illness. Cancer Care Ontario estimates that more than 16,000 deaths each year - one in six of all deaths in the province - are attributable to tobacco use. In addition to this fact, the burden of tobacco use on Ontarians and our healthcare system is more than $1 billion every year. (13)
   

• In Canada, the number if people who die from tobacco-related illness each year is 45,000. This is five times the number of deaths from car accidents, alcohol abuse, murder and suicide combined (14)
   

• Tobacco use is responsible for the deaths of half of all life-long smokers. (15)
   

• 18% of adult Ontarians aged 25 or more smoke – 23% of men and 14% are women. (16)
   

• Tobacco is responsible for 25% of all fatal cancer suffered by Ontarians. (17)
   

• Smoking accounts for 85% of all new cases of lung cancer in Canada. (18)
   

• Tobacco products are not ordinary consumer products. Cigarettes, the most common tobacco product, used as intended by the manufacturer, are addictive and cause disease and death. (19)
   

• Smokeless tobacco contains cancer-causing chemicals, just like cigarettes. It causes cancer of the mouth, tongue and throat. (20)
   

• Smoking damages gums. It is a major risk factor for periodontitis and may be responsible for more than half of periodontitis cases among adults in the United States. A large proportion of adult periodontitis may be preventable through prevention and cessation of cigarette smoking. (21)
   

• Nicotine is an addictive poison. One drop of pure nicotine will kill the average-sized person. (22)
   

• Smoking does not relieve stress. The craving for nicotine causes stress. When you smoke, the body stops craving nicotine. That’s why you feel more relaxed. (23)

Economic Facts

• From 1979-1991 in Canada, the real price of cigarettes increased by 159% and teenage smoking fell from 42% to 16%. In 1994, Canada reduced tobacco taxes in response to concerns about smuggling, causing the real price of cigarettes to fall by one-third. Teenage smoking increased from 16% to 20%. (24)
   

• The cost to Ontario’s economy and its health care system is significant. The treatment of diseases caused by tobacco use requires more than one 500,000 hospital-days each year. (25)
   

• In 1991, direct health care expenditures related to tobacco use cost Canadian taxpayers over $2.5 billion a year.(26)
   

• A pack-a-day smoking habit costs about $3,000 a year.
   

• Tobacco use is increasing in most developing countries. By 2020, 70% of all deaths from tobacco will occur in developing countries. (27)
   

• World Health Organization (WHO) forecasts that the number of smokers worldwide will increase from 1.1 billion to 1.6 billion in 2025, even as overall prevalence falls in some countries. (28)
   

• On average, increasing the price of a pack of cigarettes by 10% would reduce demand by around 4% in high-income countries and by 8% in low to middle-income countries. Despite these reductions, tax revenues would increase by about 7% according to World Bank estimates, because consumption will fall by a smaller percentage than the rise in price.(29)