Tobacco Smoking Fact File

Smoking Tobacco -

• Seven out of ten smokers in developed countries say they regret starting and would like to give up.
• Smoking kills around 120,000 people in the UK each year.
• Smoking kills six times more people in the UK than road traffic incidents, poisoning, overdose, murder, manslaughter, suicide and HIV combined.
• With current smoking trends, about 500 million people alive today will eventually be killed by tobacco use.
• Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds, over 50 of which are known carcinogens.
• In 2000 in the UK, 162 people died in fires caused by smokers’ materials.
• If current trends continue, 250 million children alive today will die from tobacco-related disease.
• Everyday, approximately 80-100,000 young people around the world become addicted to tobacco.
• Cancer Research UK states that smoking causes up to 90% of all lung cancer cases.
• Smoking is the main cause of chronic obstructive lung disease in the UK.
• Smoking accounts for 26,000 deaths from coronary heart disease in the UK.
• Increased risk of lung, upper respiratory sites, bladder and pancreatic cancers, as well as ischaemic heart disease, respiratory heart disease, aortic aneurysm and chronic obstructive lung disease, are largely or entirely caused by smoking.
• Disorders associated with smoking during pregnancy are: low birth weight; congenital limb reduction; spontaneous abortion; and ectopic pregnancy.
• The average loss of life for all smokers whose deaths are attributable to tobacco is about 16 years.
• Smoking kills over half a million women each year.
• Smoking currently kills one in ten adults worldwide. By 2030, the proportion will be one in six.
• About 98% of smokers who try to quit without the assistance of cessation programmes will have started again within a year.
• Tobacco dependence is listed in the International Classifications of Diseases (ICD-10).
• Exposure to tobacco smoke during infancy is a cause of cot death.
• Evidence of exposure to secondhand smoke can clearly be seen in new-born babies whose mothers have been exposed to tobacco smoke.
• Exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of premature birth.
• Foetal exposure to second-hand smoke is linked to low-birth weight.
• Exposing children to secondhand smoke, in utero, affects their lung function during the first year of life.
• Recurrent ear infections in children are associated with exposure to secondhand smoke.
• Exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of stroke.
• Exposure to secondhand smoke increases the symptoms of asthma.
• Secondhand smoke is cited by up to 80% of asthmatics as a trigger for further attacks.
• For women who have been exposed to more than 40,000 hours of passive smoking, the risk of lung cancer is multiplied by 2.67.
• Secondhand smoke is often not detected, leaving most people unaware of the extent to which they are actually exposed.
• Approximately 85% of secondhand smoke is in the form of invisible, odourless gases with only the particulate matter in the form of smoke being visible to the human eye.
• Three out of every ten cancer deaths in the UK are caused by smoking
• Studies suggest that babies of mothers who smoke are up to five times more likely to be at risk from Sudden Instant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
• Passive smoking is known to cause illness in children.
• Second-hand smoke can cause asthma and increases the severity of the condition in children who are already affected.
• Each year, more than 17,000 children aged under five are admitted to UK hospitals because of exposure to other people’s cigarette smoke.
• Passive smoking has been established as a cause of heart disease.
• Passive smoking has been established as a cause of stroke
• Passive smoking has been established as a cause of lung cancer.
• Around 42% of children in the UK are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home.
• Cigarettes are as addictive as drugs such as heroin or cocaine.
• On initial use, the risk of addiction to nicotine is greater than that of cocaine or alcohol.
• Additives such as ammonia raise the pH levels in the smoke, creating high levels of “free nicotine” which can be absorbed by the body more quickly.
• Chemical additives are used to reduce and mask secondhand smoke as well as alter the visibility and odour, in general, to reduce the perception of secondhand smoke.
• Menthol and other additives are used to numb the throat so the user does not feel the irritating effects of smoking.
• Smokers of low tar or ‘light’ cigarettes tend to compensate for lower nicotine yields by taking more puffs, inhaling more deeply and blocking the vent holes in the filter.
• 28% of UK smokers thought that ‘light’ cigarettes were less harmful than regular cigarettes.
• Nicotine is a ‘reinforcing’ drug, which means that users desire the drug regardless of the damaging effects.
• Stopping smoking as early as possible is important, but cessation at any age will extend a smokers life.
• According to the U.S. Lung Health Study, weight gain for men averaged 4.9 kg and 5.2 kg. for women in the first year after quitting.
• The risk of feline lymphoma is doubled for a cat that shares a home with a smoker.
• The number of female smoking related deaths in the EU rose from 10,000 in 1955, to 113,000 in 1995.
• Lung cancer is rising more rapidly among women than among men in the EU.
• In 1995, 60% of female smokers in the EU aged 45 to 64 smoked ‘light’ cigarettes.
• About a third of British women continue to smoke during pregnancy.
• Perinatal mortality in the UK is increased by approximately a third in babies of smokers.
• Women who smoke are more likely to experience primary and secondary infertility and delays in conceiving.
• Smoking increases the risk of sexual impotence by around 50% for men in their 30s and 40s.
• Smoking is one of the major causes of coronary heart disease in women.
• Among women who use oral contraceptives, those who smoke have a particularly high risk of coronary heart disease.
• Women who smoke are at an increased risk of ischaemic stroke and subarachnoid haemorrhage.
• Women who smoke have a markedly increased risk of developing and dying of chronic pulmonary disease, which include chronic bronchitis and emphysema with airflow obstruction.
• By 1987, lung cancer had surpassed breast cancer to become the leading cause of cancer death among women in the US.
• Many studies have found that post-menopausal women who smoke have lower bone densities than non-smoking women.
• In the UK in the last year 38% of smokers have sought some kind of help for stopping smoking.
• The main reason smokers in the UK want to stop smoking is for health-related reasons.
• In the UK, 79% of current smokers had tried to give up smoking in the past, and half (51%) had made a serious attempt in the last 5 years.
• People in the UK have a generally high level of knowledge about the dangers of passive smoking.
• The more cigarettes smoked in a household, the greater the risk of cot death.
• Food service workers have a 50% increase in lung cancer risk.
• By 15 years old, one in four children in the UK are regular smokers.
• Smoking is the most important public health problem in the UK today.
• Over a third (35%) of the population in Britain between 20-34 are current smokers.
• UK prevalence continues to be lowest, at 16%, among men and women aged 60 and over.
• Smoking prevalence is higher in Scotland, at 30%, than in England or Wales.
• People in the manual occupations are more likely to smoke than those in non-manual groups.
• In 1999 in the UK, 30% of pregnant women smoked.
• In the UK smoking is twice as common amongst 15-24 year old pregnant women (42%) than in those aged 35 and over (21%).
• In 1997-98 in England, 364,000 hospital admissions were attributable to smoking related illness.
• Manufactured and hand-rolled cigarettes account for up to 85% of all tobacco consumed worldwide.
• Consumption of cigarettes in low- and middle-income countries has been rising steadily since the 1970s.
• Advice from GP (3-10 minutes) increases chance of quitting by 2 to 3%.
• Intensive support, such as attending a smokers’ clinic, increases the chance of quitting by 8%.
• Smoking is reducing the female advantage in life expectancy.
• Nicotine replacement therapy approximately doubles cessation rates.
• It has been estimated that passive smoking in the workplace poses 200 times the acceptable risk for lung cancer, and 2000 times the acceptable risk for heart disease.
• Conventional ventilation and air conditioning systems do not provide effective protection against the health hazards of second-hand smoke.
• There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
• Around 3,000 people in Northern Ireland die every year from smoking related illness.
• 32% of people in Northern Ireland over the age of 16 reported being current smokers.
• 52% of men and 45% of women in Northern Ireland are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.
• Cigar smoking is associated with cancers of the oral cavity (lip, mouth, throat and tongue), larynx, lung and oesophagus.
• Daily cigar smokers, especially those who inhale, have an increased risk for developing heart and lung disease.
• Large cigars can contain as much tobacco a pack of cigarettes; between 5 and 17 grams of tobacco.
• The lung cancer risk from moderately inhaling smoke from five cigars a day is comparable to the risk from smoking up to one pack of cigarettes a day.
• In 1992 there were 1,525 fires in the state of New South Wales, Australia caused by discarded smoking materials.
• Tobacco use in the US, causes more than 440,000 deaths each year.
• Disorders associated with smoking during pregnancy are: low birth weight; congenital limb reduction; spontaneous abortion; and ectopic pregnancy.
• When filter ventilation holes are blocked on ‘low tar’ cigarettes the tar yield can increase dramatically, up to 12 times in some cases.
• Half of all regular smokers will eventually be killed by their habit.
• Habitual use of nicotine through smoking meets the key medical criteria for drug dependence.
• Tobacco is the single biggest killer in Europe. One in six deaths of all in Europe is caused by tobacco.
• Every year in the WHO European region, tobacco is responsible for 1.2 million deaths – a staggering 137 people per hour.
• Europe has the highest levels of tobacco consumption per head, the highest numbers of tobacco related deaths, and the highest burden of disability caused by tobacco.
• Tobacco will kill 2 million Europeans annually by the year 2020, and account for one in five of all deaths in the region.
• In Central and Eastern European countries, smoking rates are high amongst men, and rapidly increasing among women, while in countries in northwestern Europe, smoking rates are similar among men and women.
• During the period from 1990-93 in the EU 7.5 million workers were exposed to secondhand smoke at least 75% of the time.
• Smoking kills over half a million women each year.
• Lung cancer is rising more rapidly among women than among men in the EU.
• In 1995, 60% of female smokers in the EU aged 45 to 64 smoked ‘light’ cigarettes.
• Smoking rates among young Japanese women have increased significantly, and also appear to be on the rise among adolescents.
• Top Policy 44% UK workplaces operate a total smoking ban.
• Almost three out of ten pregnant women in the UK who work are exposed to tobacco smoke in the workplace.
• Workers in the hospitality industry are subjected to far higher levels of secondhand smoke than most other workers.
• In the UK, support for restrictions on smoking in public places is very high.
• The Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association estimates that 62% of UK production of cigarettes exceeds the ceilings on either tar, carbon monoxide or nicotine.
• Oral tobacco cannot be bought in the UK.
• Tight controls on smuggling improve governments’ revenue yields from tobacco tax increases.
• Much of the regulation applying to tobacco in the UK has been in the form of voluntary agreements with the tobacco industry.
• Cigarettes, although a nicotine delivery device, are exempt from the UK drug safety standards.
• In 1996 the European Union paid £684.5 million in tobacco subsidies. More than sixty times the amount (£10.3 million) spent for programs designed to reduce smoking.
• The recent introduction of images and very specific health warnings in countries such as Australia, Canada and Poland have seen a measured improvement on the publics’ awareness of dangers of smoking and provided motivation to discontinue using tobacco.
• Strong warning labels are effective in helping smokers to quit.
• Cigarette consumption varies inversely with the real price of cigarettes.
• The EU Labelling Directive 2001/37/EC will provide a framework for member states to base labelling laws upon.
• Advertising bans decrease consumption of tobacco.
• Top Economics In 2000 the UK government earned £9,616 million in revenue from tobacco duty and VAT.
• In high-income countries, healthcare costs related to smoking account for between 6 and 15 per cent of all annual costs.
• The annual cost of smoking to the NHS in England alone is estimated to be £1,500 million.
• The estimated cost of smoking related absence in Scotland is £40 million per annum.
• In 2000, UK consumers spent £15.1billion on tobacco related products.
• If a medium level smoker – 20 per day – were to quit they would save on average £1,144 a year.
• Tobacco control need not damage the income or livelihoods of farmers.
• A fall in tobacco consumption is unlikely to harm the economy.
• Cessation therapies, including NRT, are extremely cost effective.
• Smoking cessation interventions are more cost effective than many medical interventions.
• Tobacco use is the USA results in an annual cost of more than $75 billion in direct medical costs.
• Each pack of cigarettes sold in the USA costs the nation an estimated $7.18 in medical care costs and lost productivity.
• Smokers are hospitalised more often than nonsmokers, and take more days off because of illness.
• The European Union loses approximately €6 billion in revenue per year because of cigarette smuggling.
• Consumption of just 1,000 tons of tobacco costs the worlds’ annual economy US$200billion.
• Top Tobacco Industry Philip Morris, Japan Tobacco and British American Tobacco are the world’s three largest multinational cigarette companies. In 1998 their combined tobacco revenues were more than $88billion.
• In addition to tobacco, cigarettes can contain up to 600 additives ranging from ammonia and arsenic to lead and formaldehyde.
• Modern cigarette manufacturing machines use 4 miles of paper per hour.
• Tobacco growers are susceptible to green tobacco sickness
• Tobacco production is thought to be responsible for one in eight of all trees felled throughout the world.
• Dependence on tobacco advertising revenue persuades editors and publishers to ignore the tobacco issue or to minimise its importance.
• In developing countries that grow tobacco, production accounts for 5% of deforestation.
• In the US, more than 3 million nonfarmers – or 2.6% of the workforce – work in the tobacco business.
• The tobacco industry has yet to admit that passive smoking causes illness.
• In 1995, the global tobacco industry produced an estimated 2,262 million kilograms of manufacturing waste and 209 million kilograms of chemical waste.
• Cigarette butts accounted for almost one-fifth of all items collected in the International Coastal Cleanup Project.
• In 1995, 5.535 trillion commercially manufactured cigarettes were consumed worldwide.
• A third of annual global exports go to the contraband market.
• The tobacco industry has known for decades that smokers must modify their behaviour when smoking ‘light cigarettes’.
• The use of clear informative health warnings has been consistently opposed by the tobacco industry.
• Smuggled cigarettes are sold at a reduced price and stimulate demand for international brands.
• Tobacco advertising is used to recruit new smokers.
• The tobacco industry earns approximately €50,000 from each new smoker.
• The EU produces 4.5% of the worlds’ total tobacco leaf production. 

The Facts About Smoking Tobacco - 

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