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Still need convincing that smoking is a serious health risk to your employees?  Read on…

 

Cigarette smoking facts:

 

Every year, more than 430,000 Americans die prematurely of smoking-related diseases.

 

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.  It is responsible for one of every 5 deaths!

 

More people die as a result of cigarette smoking every year than die from AIDS, alcohol, traffic accidents, fire, illicit drugs, murder, and suicide… COMBINED.3

 

Cigarettes are highly addictive.  The Surgeon General’s 1989 report determined smoking to be as addictive as cocaine or heroin.

 

Seventeen percent of people who try crack cocaine will become addicted.  Ninety percent of people who try smoking will become addicted.

 

More than 4,000 chemicals have been identified in cigarette smoke, 43 of which are known to cause cancer.5

 

Smoking causes a wide variety of diseases:

 

Cancer – smoking is associated with many types of cancer, most notably, lung cancer.  There are nearly 5,000 new cases of lung cancer each year in North Carolina – about 87% of those are because of smoking.6  Below are listed all of the cancers that are known to be more common in smokers than in nonsmokers:

 

lung cancer

pancreatic cancer

laryngeal cancer

renal cancer

lip cancer

tongue cancer

mouth cancer

throat cancer

cancer of the pharynx

gastric cancer

kidney cancer

cervical cancer

esophageal cancer

bladder cancer

colon cancer

bone marrow cancer

Heart disease

Tobacco use is the number-one risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

 

More smokers die of heart disease than of lung cancer.

Smokers have twice the risk of heart attack as nonsmokers.

Nearly one-fifth of all deaths from heart disease are caused by smoking.

 

Lung disease

Smoking causes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Nearly all victims of emphysema are current or former smokers.

Smokers increase their risk of dying of bronchitis and emphysema by more than 10 times.

Other health consequences of smoking:2,3,7

 

Asthma

Diabetes

Rheumatoid arthritis

Osteoporosis

Respiratory problems

Peptic ulcer disease

Fertility problems (for men AND  women)

Impotence in men

Early onset of menopause

Low birth weight babies

Increased heart rate

Weakened sense of smell

Hearing loss

Vision problems

Increased headaches

Increased phlegm production

Bad breath

Yellow teeth

Reduced lung capacity

Chronic coughing

Wrinkles

Premature gray hair and even hair loss

 

As you can see, smoking increases the risks of MANY potentially very serious health problems.  But quitting smoking has major and immediate benefits for smokers of all ages:1

 

One year after quitting, an individual’s excess risk of heart disease is cut in half. You can start exploring Snus Nicotine

 

After 10 years, the former smoker’s risk of lung disease is cut in half.

 

In five to 15 years, the risk of stroke for former smokers returns to the level of those who have never smoked!

 

Adopting a smoke-free workplace encourages employees to quit smoking, thereby greatly reducing their chances of suffering from a smoking-related illness in the future.  Even the tobacco industry recognizes in their internal documents that smoke-free workplaces lead to reduced levels of smoking among employees.  Philip Morris compiled tracking data from over 25,000 workers, and determined that smokers in smoke-free workplaces “consume 11-15% less cigarettes than average, and quit at a rate that is 84% higher than average”.8  They also found that “milder workplace restrictions like smoking only in designated areas have much less impact on quitting rates and very little impact on consumption”.8   By adopting a smoke-free workplace you’re protecting the health of your employees, reducing your organization’s health care costs, and protecting the future of your business!