Tobacco Fact File

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.

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