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Shocking smoking facts that will make you want to quit today

Smoking not only causes cancer and heart and lung disease, but it’s associated with stress, reproductive problems and more.

Jan 18, 2026
Home page>Shocking smoking facts that will make you want to quit today
Written byLea Herring
Medically reviewedbyAnn Wendling, MD, MPHin March 2024
Slide 1
There are up to 7,000 chemicals in a burning cigarette
Smoking is tied to stress
The connection between smoking and cancer
Smoking damages your heart and lungs
Other diseases linked to smoking
Tobacco can change the way you look
Your fertility could decrease
Kick the habit in the butt
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Slide 1

Smoking causes roughly 480,000 deaths a year in the United States. Of those deaths, 41,000 are from secondhand smoke, meaning those who live and work around smokers can experience major health problems. It’s no surprise that smoking cigarettes is addictive, dangerous and quite expensive, but there are even more risks you may not know about. Here are seven surprising facts that might convince you to quit.

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