9 Fascinating Smoking Facts

According to the CDC, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. By their estimates, if the current pattern of smoking world-wide doesn’t change, 8 million people will die annually from tobacco-related illnesses by the year 2030.

If that doesn’t send a chill up your spine and straight to your lungs, here are some more facts that might:

1. Every year in the U.S. more than 480,000 people die from tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, making it the leading cause of preventable death in the country. (www.lung.com)

2. Cigarettes contain arsenic, lead and tar – among more than 7,000 other chemicals.

3. On average, the life expectancy of a smoker is 10 years less than that of a nonsmoker. (www.tobaccofreeca.com)

4. A pack-a-day smoker will lose two teeth every ten years.

5. Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, lung disease – among other ailments.

6. Smokers are four times as likely to report feeling unrested after a night’s sleep than nonsmokers, and are 70% more likely to develop hearing loss.

7. Third-hand smoke, the particles that cling to a smoker’s hair and clothing and linger in a room long after they’ve left, is a cancer risk to young children (and pets).

8. Smoking is a known cause of erectile dysfunction in males. (CDC)

9. Tobacco kills up to one half of all users.