Tobacco

Facts about Tobacco Use

TOBACCO IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH
AND DISEASE IN WISCONSIN.

Tobacco Use Numbers In Wisconsin

• 19.6% of adults in Wisconsin smoke.
• 9,100 Wisconsin kids (under 18) become new daily smokers each year
• 14% of pregnant women in Wisconsin smoke, compared to 10% in the United States.

The Price of Addiction

• 7,300 Wisconsin adults die each year from their own smoking
• 480 to 1,350 Wisconsin non-smoking adults die each year from secondhand smoke exposure

We All Pay

• $2.02 billion in annual healthcare costs in Wisconsin directly caused by smoking
• $9.53: Cost per pack of cigarettes to Wisconsin citizens in smoking-related healthcare costs and lost productivity.  Wisconsin's current cigarette tax cover just 19% of those costs.

It's A Battle of Influence

• $276.1 million - Big Tobacco's annual marketing expenditures in Wisconsin
• $15 million - Wisconsin's annual commitment to Tobacco Prevention and Control

Information taken from July 2008 SmokeFree Wisconsin and the Tobacco Control Resource Center for Wisconsin fact sheet.

Smoking Deaths In Waukesha County

• In Waukesha County, approximately 413 die annually of illness directly related to smoking

Some Facts about Secondhand Smoke

• Secondhand smoke contains a complex mixture of more than 4,000 chemicals, more than 50 of which are known or probable human cancer-causing agents (carcinogens).
   
• People are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home, workplace, and in public venues such as bars, bowling alleys, and restaurants.
   
• Secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer and coronary heart disease in nonsmoking adults. 
   
• Because their lungs are not fully developed, young children are particularly susceptible to secondhand smoke. Exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia in young children.
   
• An estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths and more than 35,000 coronary heart disease deaths occur annually among adult nonsmokers in the United States as a result of exposure to secondhand smoke. 

For additional information on the effects of tobacco use or
how you can help contact us.

When Smokers Quit . . .

Short Term Benefits

20 minutes after you quit smoking your heart rate drops, constricted blood vessels return to normal and body temperature of your hands and feet increases to a normal level.

12 hours after quitting the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops and oxygen levels return to normal.

5 to 7 days after quitting the addicting nicotine is gone from your body.

2 weeks to 3 months after quitting your heart attack risk begins to drop and your lung function begins to improve.

1 to 9 months after quitting your coughing and shortness of breath decrease.

Long Term Benefits

1 year after quitting your risk of coronary hear disease is half that of a smoker.

5-15 years after quitting your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker’s .

10 years after quitting your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smokers and your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas also decrease.

15 years after quitting your risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a nonsmoker’s. 

Visible Rewards of Quitting

• Premature wrinkling of the skin will subside

• Food will taste better

• Clothes, breath and hair won't smell

• Fingernails and teeth won't be stained yellow

• Sense of smell will return to normal

• Ordinary activities will no longer leave you out of breath

Information taken from the Tobacco Control Resource Center for Wisconsin's
fact sheet, "When Smokers Quit ..."

Useful Links

Tobacco Control Resource Center for Wisconsin

American Lung Association of Wisconsin

Tobacco Free Kids