Cigarette smoking is the number one cause of preventable disease
and death worldwide. Smoking-related diseases claim over 393,000
American lives each year. Smoking cost the United States over
$193 billion in 2004, including $97 billion in lost productivity
and $96 billion in direct health care expenditures, or an
average of $4,260 per adult smoker. Key Facts About Smoking -
Cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are
known to cause cancer. Smoking is directly responsible for
approximately 90 percent of lung cancer deaths and approximately
80-90 percent of COPD (emphysema and chronic bronchitis) deaths.
- Among adults who have ever smoked, 70% started smoking
regularly at age 18 or younger, and 86% at age 21 or younger. -
Among current smokers, chronic lung disease accounts for 73
percent of smoking-related conditions. Even among smokers who
have quit chronic lung disease accounts for 50 percent of
smoking-related conditions. - Smoking harms nearly every organ
in the body, and is a main caus