Your health & well-being

The Facts about Smoking
In the UK today, smoking cigarettes is the greatest cause of illness and premature death. There are many serious and fatal diseases linked to smoking (see diagram below). Smoking related deaths are mainly due to cancers, heart disease and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Each year smoking kills approximately 106,000 people. Approximately half of all smokers die from smoking related diseases. With long term smokers, on average, their life expectancy is about 10 years less than non smokers. In the UK 8 in 10 non smokers live beyond the age of 70, but only 50% long term smokers live beyond the age of 70.

What is in tobacco smoke?

Tobacco smoke contains around 4,000 different chemicals. Many of these are poisonous and some can cause cancer. Three of the main components are:

Nicotine
Increases the heart rate and blood pressure and affects mood and behaviour. Nicotine is also used as an insecticide.

Tar
Many of the substances in tar are known to cause cancer. It can also damage the lungs.

Carbon Monoxide
A gas that takes the place of oxygen in the blood, making the lungs less efficient and stopping cells and tissues getting the oxygen that they need to work properly. Carbon monoxide is the poisonous gas found in car exhaust fumes.

Other chemicals found in tobacco smoke include:

Benzene
A poisonous gas found in petrol fumes. It is known to cause leukaemia

Ethanol
Used in anti-freeze

Ammonia
Used in anti-personnel spray and cleaning products

Formaldehyde
An embalming fluid

Hydrogen Cyanide
An industrial pollutant

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)
A cancer causing chemical also found in diesel exhaust and other combustion products

NB In addition to these chemicals, there are various additional unwholesome substances that may be present as a result of the plantation environment and the conditions in which the harvested tobacco leaves are stored and shipped.

The benefits of stopping smoking

Stopping smoking is the greatest single step that you can take to improve your health and life expectancy.

Once the daily intake of carbon monoxide and other poisons stops, your body can begin to repair the damage done by smoking.

As soon as you give up:

Time Stopped
Low Risk	High Risks	Effects
20 minutes	20 minutes	Blood pressure drops to normal, pulse rate drops to normal, temperature of hands and feet returns to normal
8 hours	8 hours	Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal, Oxygen level in blood increases to normal
24 hours	24 hours	Chance of heart attack decreased
48 hours	48 hours	Nerve endings start to re-grow, smell and taste improved
2 weeks	3 months	Circulation improves, exercise becomes easier, lung function increased by up to one-third
1 month	9 months	Cilia grow in lungs and airways increasing lungs’ self-maintenance. Energy levels increase, coughing, sinus problems and shortness of breath all decrease
1 year	1-1.5 years	Excess risk of heart disease is halved. Recovery rate from heart/bypass surgery almost doubled.
2.5 years	5 years	Lung cancer death rate for average former smoker almost halved. Risk of mouth or throat cancer halved.
5 years	10 years	Risk of stroke similar to non-smoker
10 years	10 years	Lung cancer death rate the same as non-smokers. Pre-cancerous cells have been replaced. Risk of cancer of mouth, throat, bladder, kidneys and pancreas decreases.
10 years	15 years	Risk of heart disease is the same as that of a non-smoker