The number of people dying each year from smoking related diseases is equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR! That is 330 people each day, 120,000 every year.

Approximately half of all regular cigarette smokers will eventually be killed by their habit.

The risk of having a heart attack is two or three times greater in smokers than non-smokers.

Smoking is the cause of about 90% of peripheral vascular disease which lead to about 2000 leg amputations each year.

Smokers who smoke between 1 and 14 cigarettes a day have 8 times the risk of dying from lung cancer compared to non-smokers. This risk increases the more smoked, with those who smoke over 25 cigarettes a day having 25 times this risk.

30% of all cancer deaths are attributed to smoking.

Cancers linked to smoking include lung cancer, cervical cancer, cancers of the mouth lip and throat, cancer of the pancreas, bladder cancer, stomach cancer, cancer of the kidney and liver cancer.

Smoking causes approximately 82% of all deaths from lung cancer, 83% of all deaths from bronchitis and emphysema and about 25% of all deaths from heart disease.

Why is smoking so harmful?

Nicotine

is a highly addictive drug which stimulates the nervous system and causes the heart rate and blood pressure to increase. It also narrows blood vessels and so reduces the blood supply to the heart and the brain. The tightening up of the small blood vessels under the skin causes wrinkles.

Tar

is a brown, sticky substance that contains many poisonous chemicals which can cause cancers. Tar gets deposited in the lungs and damages the small hairs (called cilia) which clean the lungs. Tar is also an irritant causing coughing and chronic chest problems..

Carbon monoxide

is a poisonous gas with no smell. It is found in car exhaust fumes, leaking gas heaters and burning cigarettes. Carbon monoxide prevents the blood taking up oxygen from the lungs. If you smoke 20 cigarettes a day you will have around 10% less oxygen in your body. This leads to low energy levels, shortness of breath and tiredness. If a smoker is pregnant her baby may not get enough oxygen for healthy growth.