Description of Substance:

Tobacco comes from the tobacco plant; it the brown, leafy material used to make cigarettes.

It contains over 4000 chemicals. Nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and benzene are the chemicals that we know the most about:

NICOTINE � occurs naturally in tobacco and is the addictive agent. Harmful to the cardiovascular and endocrine systems

TAR � a sticky, black residue containing hundreds of chemicals, many of which are considered carcinogenic or are classified as hazardous waste

CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) � results from the burning of tobacco; this odorless/colourless gas is also found in car exhaust. It impairs the ability of red blood cells to deliver oxygen to the heart, brain and skeletal muscles

FORMALDEHYDE � classified as a possible human carcinogenic, registered in Canada as a pesticide

HYDROGEN CYANIDE � considered one of the most toxic agents in tobacco smoke. Frequent exposure to low concentrations will cause weakness, nausea, vomiting, rapid breathing, eye and skin

BENZENE � classified as a carcinogenic (Health Canada, 2002)

Prevalence of Tobacco Use:

Canada

According to the results of the Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUS), in 2002, 21% of the Canadian population over 15-years-of-age smoke (Health Canada, 1999)

United States

Studies have shown that 25% of U.S. people over 15-years-of-age smoke and that everyday, nearly 4,000 youth under 18-years-of-age will try their first cigarette. The estimated medical cost attributable to smoking is more than $50 billion per year (Center for Disease Control, 2004)

World-wide

Tobacco is the 4th most common risk factor for disease worldwide (Centre for Disease Control, 2004)

Created by:Lisa Powers