Key Facts about Smoking Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, at least 69 of which are known to cause cancer.2 Smoking is directly responsible for approximately 90 percent of lung cancer deaths and approximately 80 percent of deaths caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.1 Among adults who have ever smoked daily, 78 percent had smoked their first cigarette by the time they were 18 years of age, and 94 percent had by age 21.3 Among current smokers, 73 percent of their diagnosed smoking-related conditions are chronic lung diseases. Even among smokers who have quit, chronic lung disease still accounts for 50 percent of smoking-related conditions.4 Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body, and is a main cause of lung cancer and COPD. It also is a cause of coronary heart disease, stroke and a host of other cancers and diseases.
“No one can quit smoking for you, or make you want to change your life. No one can make you do anything that you don’t want to do.” – Gudjon Bergmann Quitting smoking really needs motivation.
