Tobacco
The True Facts about Tobacco
- Tobacco, whether in cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, or snuff, damages your health. Smoking, the most common cause of lung cancer, is also a leading cause of cancer of the mouth, throat, bladder, pancreas, and kidneys.
- Tobacco affects your body's development. Smoking is particularly harmful to those in their teens because the body is still growing and changing. The known 200 poisons in cigarette smoke can cause life-threatening diseases such as chronic bronchitis, heart disease and stroke.
- Tobacco is addictive. Cigarettes contain nicotine - a highly addictive substance.
- Tobacco can kill you. In the U.S., cigarette smoking accounts for 440,000 deaths each year. More deaths are caused yearly by tobacco than by death from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides and murder combined.
Don't Risk It....
- Know the law - it is illegal for anyone under 18 to purchase tobacco products.
- Addiction to tobacco is difficult to control. Studies show that many tobacco users desire to quit and attempt to do so, but few succeed.
- The poisons in tobacco affect your appearance. Tobacco stains your teeth and nails. Tobacco also dulls your hair and contributes to hair loss, and causes skin to age prematurely and dulls skin tone.
- Smoking causes shortness of breath and dizziness. Chewing tobacco causes dehydration.
Side Effects of Tobacco
- wheezing
- coughing
- bad breath
- smelly hair and clothing
- yellow-brownish stained teeth and fingers
- frequent colds
- decreased sense of smell and taste
- difficulty in participating in sports and athletic activities
- bleeding gums
- frequent mouth sores
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Smoking and Tobacco Use