Tobacco smoke from a cigarette, cigar or pipe contains more than 4,000 chemicals. Sixty of them are known to cause cancer.

The drug in tobacco is called nicotine. Nicotine acts as a stimulant, causing your heart to beat faster and blood pressure to rise.

Carbon monoxide is present in tobacco smoke and it is the same poisonous gas found in automobile exhaust. It decreases the amount of oxygen your blood can carry.

The solid particles in tobacco smoke are called tar. Tar consists of hundreds of chemicals.

Tar prevents the normal exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your lungs. This contributes to shortness of breath and lack of endurance. Tar coats your lungs and increases your risk of lung cancer.

Some of the other poisons in tobacco smoke are cyanide, formaldehyde, arsenic and acetone.

Nicotine is a very addictive drug. This means that if you smoke often, then your body starts to want or crave the nicotine. Your body will depend on having the nicotine to feel all right. Not having the nicotine makes you feel uneasy. It is difficult for people to quit smoking once they are addicted to nicotine

Every year 40,000 Canadians die from the effects of smoking. Many more lie on with diseased lungs and hearts.

Smoking increases your risks of developing:

	lung cancer
	heart disease and strokes
	emphysema (a lung disease)
	chronic bronchitis
	asthma
	stomach ulcers
	cancer of the larynx, mouth, esophagus, bladder, kidneys and pancreas
	cancer of the larynx, mouth, esophagus, bladder, kidneys and pancreas

Women who smoke also may develop:

	cancer of the cervix
	infertility
	menstrual problems
	osteoporosis

Women who use birth control pills and smoke are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than women who do not smoke.

Pregnant women increase their risk of:

	miscarriages
	problem pregnancies
	premature births
	smaller babies
	stillbirths

Men who smoke have fewer active sperm and more deformed sperm.

All tobacco contains many cancer-causing agents. Chewing tobacco can cause mouth cancer. The tobacco in pipes and cigars contain the same harmful chemicals as cigarettes. If you do not inhale the smoke into your lungs, you may decrease your risk of lung cancer, but you increase your risk of throat, mouth and lip cancers.