Tobacco

Did you know that for every Australian who dies in a motor vehicle accident, more than ten die prematurely due to tobacco? Smoking in any form does serious damage to our physical health and dependence can lead to our stress.

Get the facts:

  • Tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of disease and death in Australia
  • Smoking affects nearly every organ in the body, increases the risk of many cancers and is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • More than 16,000 people die in Australia every year from tobacco related illnesses
  • A 'smokers cough' or shortness of breath are early signs of problems that could be fatal
  • Just three cigarettes a day can trigger potentially fatal heart disease and women are particularly at risk
  • A typical one-hour long waterpipe tobacco smoking session involves breathing in 100-200 times the volume of smoke compared to a single cigarette
  • If you quit before the age of 35 your life expectancy is similar to someone who has never smoked
  • Exposure to second-hand smoke causes a number of serious health problems, including heart disease and lung cancer in non-smoking adults
  • Children exposed to second-hand smoke are at an increased risk of asthma, lower respiratory illnesses such as croup, bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia, middle ear infections and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

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