- 1,100 people die every year in Utah from smoking related causes.
- Each household in Utah pays $523 every year for smoking-caused government expenditures.
- Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals.
- Each year 1,400 kids (under 18) in Utah become daily smokers.
- More people die every year from tobacco than fires, illegal drugs, homicides, suicides, AIDS, motor vehicle injuries and alcohol combined.
- Smokeless tobacco or other forms of nicotine are NOT a safe alternative to smoking.
- More than 5 million children alive today will die prematurely from smoking-related illnesses.
- Nearly every adult who smokes (almost 90 percent) took his or her first puff at or before the age of 18.
- Utah incurs $345 million in tobacco-related health costs every year and $294 million in lost productivity costs due to smoking caused productivity loss.
- Increasing tobacco taxes is an effective way to prevent and reduce smoking, especially among kids.
Secondhand Smoke Facts
- More than 50,000 U.S. non-smokers die from secondhand smoke (SHS) every year.
- In Utah, over 100,000 children are exposed to SHS in their homes.
- 230 adult non-smokers die in Utah each year from SHS exposure.
- SHS is classified as a Class A Carcinogen, the most dangerous category of cancer-causing agents, there is no safe level of exposure.
- SHS increases a non-smoker’s risk of heart disease by 25-35%.
- Every year in the U.S., there are 10,000 cases of low birth weight due to SHS.
- Smoke-free laws help protect restaurant and bar employees and patrons from the harms of secondhand smoke.
- Smoke-free laws help the seven out of every ten smokers who want to quit smoking by providing them with public environments free from any pressure or temptation to smoke.
