| FACTS |
| THE FIRST PUFF |
| + Your heart beats faster + Your breathing becomes rapid and shallow + Circulation in your body slows down + Your fingers and toes get colder + Poisonous chemicals hit your bloodstream + Nicotine begins to feed the cycle of addiction + More likely to get colds, flu, and develop asthma |
| RISKS FOR YOUTH |
| + Unusually high heart rate + Tire out from exercise quicker + More respiratory problems + Lower lung capacity + Higher risk of heart disease + Later on cataracts, sleeping problems, tooth and gum disease, ulcers, and bowel disorders |
| There are over 4,000 chemicals, including 50 cancer causing chemicals released into the air when a single cigarette is smoked. Some of these are found naturally in the tobacco leaf and others through the combustion (burning) of tobacco. TOXINS IN TOBACCO -Cigarettes contain toxins that are dangerous for both smokers and non-smokers. -NICOTINE!!A mood altering drug that is highly addictive.Studies have shown that it is as addictive as heroine and cocaine. -TAR!!A sticky black residue filled with chemicals including poisons and other cancer causing substances. -CARBON MONOXIDE!!An invisible,odorless,yet lethal,gas.In high concentrations will starve the body of oxygen.Overtime, it will damage your heart and brain. |
| -HYDROGEN CYANIDE!!Colourless gas that can lead to headaches, dizziness, and nausea.Considered one of the most dangerous toxins in cigarette smoke. -LEAD!!Severe lead poisoning can cause birth defects and learning disabilities. -FORMALDEHYDE!!Used in Canada as a pesticide.Causes nose,throat,or breathing problems. -BENZENE!!Chemical that harms you at any level of exposure. Even though the amount of chemicals in a cigarette is small,it builds up in the body.The amount stored in the body increases with each puff.With over 10 puffs of a cigarette,if a person smoked a pack a day,they would inhale 73,000 puffs of lethal toxins a year. |
| Why is it so hard to quit? -Physical addiction (The body becomes dependent on it.) -Psychological addiction (Can result in pleasure in comfort for the smoker) What is Nicotine? Nicotine is a drug that enters your brain that takes about 3 seconds to get you hooked, sometimes for life. A low dosage stimulates the brain and causes feelings of relaxation. A high dosage is known to be used as insecticide and is extremely poisonous. |
| Two Types of Second Hand Smoke -Sidestream Smoke � smoke coming from the end of a cigarette,pipe,or cigar. -Mainstream Smoke � smoke inhaled from the smoker. Second hand smoke carries twice as much as tar as the smoke inhaled by smokers,twice as much nicotine as the smoke inhaled by smokers,and five times more carbon monoxide. What can you get from second hand smoke? -lung cancer,heart disease,stroke,asthma,cancer of the sinus,brain,cervix,and thyroid,leukemia and lymphoma,increased coughing,phlegm production and chest discomfort,eye irritation,sore throat,and nausea. |
| Each and every day,between 82,000 and 99,000 young people start smoking in the world. Youth smokers make more attempts than adults to quit.Majority of them fail. Almost 19% of Alberta teens ages 12 to 19 smoke daily or occasionally. Smoking rates for youth climbed in the early 1990�s,but have been slowly declining. In Canada,smoking rates are generally higher with males than females. Males are twice as likely to have their first cigarette between the ages of 5 and 11. |
| Companies use advertisements to sell their products.Consider how many times you see a person or character you adore taking a puff through a half hour show. The tobacco company can and does use this to their advantage. In 1998,Canadian tobacco companies spent $32 million on getting you hooked through the media. So,why do they target you anyways? The tobacco industry is losing their adult clients.Over 45,000 Canadians die each year from tobacco related illnesses and more smokers are gaining common sense and quitting. Tobacco companies know that every day they need another 3,000 youths to start smoking in order to keep the business going. |
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