The Tobacco Use Epidemic - What You Need to Know PSA (:60)

Download this transcript (18KB)

The Tobacco Use Epidemic - What You Need to Know PSA (:60)

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.; more than 400,000 people die from it each year.

The decline in smoking rates has stalled in the past five years. One in five adults continues to smoke cigarettes; about half of them will die early from smoking-related causes.

Exposure to secondhand smoke can trigger a heart attack and cause sudden infant death among newborns. About four in ten nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke and more than half of all children are exposed to secondhand smoke, most heavily at home.

The most effective actions to reduce smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke include tobacco price increases, passing smoke-free laws, conducting media campaigns, and providing support for quitting.

If you smoke, quit. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. Never let anyone smoke in your home or vehicles or around your children. And, support smoke-free laws that ban smoking in work places and public places.

For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/tobacco.