Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How many people smoke?
A. Recent estimates show that approximately 46.6 million people in the United States are smokers. Over half of these (56%) are male.

Q. What chemicals are in cigarettes?
A. Cigarette smoke contains about 4000 chemicals. 43 of these are carcinogenic, meaning they are known to cause cancer. Among these harmful chemicals are nicotine, ammonia, lead, formaldehyde, and mercury.

Q. Who is most likely to become addicted?
A. Nicotine is highly addictive, and anyone who starts smoking is at risk for becoming addicted. The younger a person is when they begin to smoke, the more likely they are to become addicted; in fact, 90% of adult smokers began smoking when they were under 19 years of age.

Q. Are mild or "light" cigarettes less harmful than regular strength cigarettes?
A. No, they pose the exact same health risks. Smokers who switch to a "light" cigarette usually compensate by inhaling more deeply and more frequently in order to get the same nicotine hit.

Q. Will I gain weight if I quit smoking?
A. You don' t have to. Quitting smoking in itself doesn't cause weight gain; replacing cigarettes with snacks can cause weight gain. If you keep your food intake the same when you quit smoking, your weight will remain steady. When cigarettes are replaced with snacks, you should choose healthy foods like fruits and vegetables instead of a sweet snack.

Q. How does smoking affect pregnant women and their babies?
A. Any smoking during pregnancy places the health and the life of the unborn baby in jeopardy. Pregnant women who smoke are smoking for two--the nicotine, carbon monoxide, and all the other harmful chemicals pass through her bloodstream and enter the baby's body. This places babies born to women who smoke at a greater risk for the following difficulties: miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth, infant death, low birth-weight, and SIDS. It has also been suggested by some research that children of women who smoked during pregnancy or who are exposed to secondhand smoke may be slower learners in school, be shorter and smaller than other children, and are more likely to smoke as an adult.

Q. What are the dangers of secondhand smoke?
A. Secondhand smoke is also called Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), and occurs when non-smokers breathe in other people's cigarette smoke. This includes smoke that is inhaled and then exhaled into the air by smokers, and also smoke from the burning cigarette. ETS contains the exact same harmful ingredients that smokers inhale. Surprisingly, because it is formed at a lower temperature, ETS contains even higher proportions of some cancer-causing toxins than does mainstream smoke. ETS causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year and about 35,000 deaths from heart disease in healthy non-smokers who live with smokers.

Q. Is smokeless tobacco harmful?
A. Smokeless forms of tobacco, such as snuff and chewing tobacco, are just as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. Because nicotine is still found in these drugs, users will become just as chemically dependent on them as a smoker is on their cigarette. Snuff and chewing tobacco also cause a higher blood nicotine level which is maintained for a longer period of time, since the product tends to be chewed over a period of hours.

Q. I've tried to quit before and it didn't work. What can I do?
A. Try again! Remember that most people have to try to quit two or three times before they are successful. Keep trying new strategies and implementing strategies that have worked in the past. Eventually, you will find the right combination that will work for you.

Questions and Answers adapted from The American Cancer Society and The Smoking Cessation Organization.