truth's Facts page.

In high school, 79% of African American students who smoke, smoke menthol cigarettes.

One tobacco company proposed reaching its target consumer from ice cream trucks.

An average of 4.5mg of nicotine is absorbed from 7.9g of chewing tobacco and an average of 3.6mg of nicotine is absorbed from 2.5g moist snuff. You only absorb 1mg of nicotine per cigarette.

Nicotine is absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly with smokeless tobacco than with cigarettes, but it continues to be absorbed more even after tobacco has been removed from the mouth.

Using smokeless tobacco is also associated with gingivitis, dental caries, abrasion, and staining.

Long-term smokeless tobacco users are nearly fifty times more likely to have cancers of the cheek and gum than non-users.

Smokeless tobacco increases the risk of oral cancer.

Smokeless tobacco causes, or is strongly associated with, adverse effects on both oral and systematic health.

Smokeless tobacco is addictive.

Between 2002 and 2005, sales of moist snuff increased while sales of loose leaf chewing tobacco and dry snuff and plug/twist fell. Nearly 76 million pounds of moist snuff were sold in 2005, more than the other three types combined. Advertising and promotional expenditures were also highest for moist snuff.

From 2002-2005, the two top advertising and promotional categories for smokeless tobacco were promotional allowances (payments made to retailers to facilitate sales) and retail value added (offers in which a smokeless tobacco product and bonus item are packaged together as a single unit).

Since 1987, Big Tobacco has increased their spending on advertising and promotions every year, reaching $250.8 million in 2005.

Revenues from smokeless tobacco sales reached $2.36 billion in 2002 and $2.61 billion in 2005.

Smokeless tobacco use among men declined between 1987 and 2000. The largest declines were among those aged 18 to 24 years, people 65 years and older, African-Americans, residents of the South, and persons in more rural areas.

In 2005, among adults aged 26 or older, 3% had used smokeless tobacco in the past month. Among youths aged 12 to 17, the rate was 2%, and among young adults aged 18 to 25, the rate was 5% percent.

The average age of first smokeless tobacco use for those aged 12 to 49 in 2005 was 18 years.

In 2005, three quarters of new smokeless tobacco users were male, and more than half were under age 18 when they first tried it.

Smokeless tobacco use increased for 12th-grade males from 1986 until the early 1990s, but has declined since in all grades.

Smokeless tobacco use is higher among males (5%) than females (1%) for adults.

Adolescents who use smokeless tobacco are more likely to become cigarette smokers.

3% of middle school students and 6% of high school students use smokeless tobacco.

In 1988, one tobacco company brainstormed the idea of a colored cigarette to "enhance wardrobe."

In 2006, over 5 million people around the world died from tobacco products.

Acetic Acid is found in cigarettes. Acetic Acid is also found in floor wipes.

Acetanisole is found in cigarettes. Acetanisole is also an ingredient in some perfumes.

Toluene is found in cigarette smoke. Toluene is also found in dynamite.

Formaldehyde is found in cigarette smoke. Formaldehyde preserves the dead.

Geraniol is found in cigarettes. Geraniol is also found in pesticides.

Acetone is found in cigarette smoke. Acetone also removes nail polish.

Hydrazine is found in cigarettes. Hydrazine is also found in rocket fuel.

Toluene is found in cigarette smoke. Toluene is also found in gasoline.

Cadmium is found in cigarettes. Cadmium is also found in batteries.

Cinnemaldyhyde is found in cigarettes. Cinnemaldehyde is also found in pet repellant.

Methanol is found in cigarettes. Methanol is also found in antifreeze.

Urea is found in cigarettes. Urea is also found in Pee.

Cigarettes kill over 50 people an hour.

An ingredient in mothballs- naphthalene- is also found in cigarette smoke.

There are 11 known human carcinogens in cigarette smoke.

5.6 trillion cigarettes are produced by tobacco companies each year, amounting to nearly 900 cigarettes for every man, woman and child in the world.

A tobacco executive said that smoking is only as addictive as "sugar and salt and internet access."

In 1953, Phillip Morris advertised low-tar cigarettes as "the cigarette that takes the FEAR out of smoking."

In 1978, one tobacco executive said that "unhappiness causes cancer."

Benzene, arsenic and cyanide are all poisons. They’re all in cigarette smoke too.

According to the New York Times, in 1998, one tobacco executive said, "Nobody knows what you’d turn to if you didn’t smoke. Maybe you’d beat your wife."

In 1971, when one tobacco executive was reminded that smoking can lead to underweight babies, he said, " Some women would prefer smaller babies. "

In 1996, the tobacco industry said that drinking one to two glasses of whole milk a day was riskier than second-hand smoke.

Around the 1980s, tobacco companies labeled African Americans - less educated, prefer malt liquor, have problems with their own self-esteem.

As long ago as 1969, a tobacco company executive agreed to "avoid advertising directed to young people." Yet 10 years later, they supplied their products to be featured in The Muppet Movie.

Big Tobacco labels their cigarettes with things like light, ultra-light and low-tar even though they can be as deadly and addictive as regular cigarettes.

On their websites, tobacco companies encourage people to quit smoking. However, in 2006, a court found that tobacco companies manipulate nicotine levels to keep smokers addicted.

In 2006, a former Russian spy was allegedly murdered using Polonium-210. This radioactive chemical is also found in cigarette smoke, a fact at least one tobacco company was aware of in 1964.

In 1985, one tobacco company brainstormed the idea of reaching younger adult customers in record stores.

Human sweat contains urea and ammonia. So do cigarettes.

Tobacco companies’ products kill 36,000 people every month. That’s more lives thrown away than there are public garbage cans in NYC.

Sodium hydroxide is a caustic compound found in hair removal products. It’s also found in cigarettes.

Tobacco kills over 20 times more people than murder.

Problems with self-esteem. Has menial, boring job. Emotionally insecure. Passive-aggressive. Probably leads fairly dull existence. Grooming not a strong priority. Lacks inner resources. Group conformist. Non-thinking. Not into ideas. Insecure follower. These are all terms taken from Big Tobacco’s files that have been used to describe different groups of potential customers for their deadly, addictive products.

As of 2006, tobacco was still depicted in three-quarters of youth rated movies and 90% of R-rated movies.

Sunburns can cause wrinkles; so can cigarettes.

In 1985, a tobacco industry brainstorming session came up with the idea of reaching their "younger adult smoker" in candy stores.

Smoking can lead to cataracts, the number one cause of vision loss in the world.

In 1989, millions of cases of imported fruit were banned after a small amount of cyanide was found in just two grapes. There’s 33 times more cyanide in a single cigarette than was found in both of those grapes.

Because of the tobacco industry’s products, about 339 people in the U.S. die of lung cancer every day.

There’s hydrogen cyanide in rat poison. The same stuff is in cigarette smoke.

Hydrogen cyanide has been used in prison executions. It’s also found in cigarette smoke.

Tobacco companies have been targeting women with their advertising for the last 70 years.

As late as 1999, tobacco companies placed in-store advertising signage at a child’s eye level.

Every day, cows release methane gas into the air. From you know where. But methane is also found somewhere else. Yesiree, in cigarette smoke.

69 animal and/or human carcinogens are in tobacco smoke.

Female college students are more likely to smoke daily than male college students.

43.9% of young adults who are college age, but do not attend college, smoke.

25.7% of college students smoke.

15% of college students smoke daily.

Smoking is responsible for the premature deaths of approximately 3 million women since 1980.

One half of all lifetime smokers will die prematurely as a result of smoking.

There will be 1 billion tobacco deaths worldwide in the 21st century if current trends continue.

There were 100 million deaths worldwide from tobacco use in the 20th century.

The U.S., China, Russian Federation, Japan, and Indonesia are the five countries that consume more than half of the world’s cigarettes.

10 million cigarettes are smoked every minute of every day around the world.

5.6 trillion cigarettes are produced by tobacco companies each year, amounting to nearly 900 cigarettes per year for every man, woman, and child in the world.

There are 4.8 million deaths worldwide from smoking each year.

In 1997, one tobacco company CEO said he would probably "instantly" shut his doors "to get a better hold on things" if it were proved to his satisfaction that smoking causes cancer. That same company now admits on their website that smoking causes cancer, but they’re still open for business.

In 1985, one tobacco vice president wondered, in reference to smoking-related deaths, if we should ban sleep since according to him the majority of people die in their sleep.

Every 6.5 seconds, someone in the world dies from a smoking-related disease.

Each year only 4.7% of smokers succeed in quitting.

Each year 40% of smokers quit for at least a day.

About 70% of smokers say they want to quit.

22.3% of high school students smoke.

8.1% of middle school students smoke.

In just one year, cigarettes leave about 31,000 kids fatherless.

In just one year, cigarettes leave about 12,000 kids motherless. That's 33 mothers a day.

About one third of youth smokers will eventually die from a tobacco-related disease.

Every day, about 1,500 youth become daily smokers.

Every day, about 3,900 youth ages 12 to 17 try a cigarette for the first time.

1 out of 3 smokers begin smoking before the age of 14.

The majority of smokers begin before the age of 18 (80% before age 18, 90% before age 20).

72. 2 % of women reported wanting to quit and 41.9% made a quit attempt in 2000.

47.3% of women who have ever smoked have quit.

Pregnant women who smoke increase their risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and SIDS.

17.4% of women in the U.S. smoke.

It is estimated that as many as 22% of pregnant women and girls smoke.

32% of White middle school students who smoke use light cigarettes.

46% of White high school students who smoke use light cigarettes.

23.1% of White men smoke compared to 19.8% of White women.

According to one tobacco company VP, in 2001, a company name change could focus attention away from tobacco.

Every single day, in the U.S., the tobacco industry spends nearly $34 million on advertising and promotions.

39.2% of high school students report seeing advertisements for tobacco products on the Internet.

34.1% of middle school students report seeing advertisements for tobacco products on the Internet.

How do infants avoid secondhand smoke? "At some point they begin to crawl." Tobacco Executive, 1996.

61.4% of people below the poverty level reported wanting to quit smoking and 41.2% reported making a quit attempt in 2000.

In 2000, 33.6% of all people below the poverty level who had ever smoked reported that they had successfully quit.

35% of Hispanic high school students who smoke use light cigarettes.

30% of Hispanic youth in middle school smoke light cigarettes.

18.0% of Hispanic men smoke, compared to 8.3% of Hispanic women.

Smoking-attributable productivity losses for women are approximately $30.5 billion per year.

Smoking-attributable productivity losses for men are approximately $61.9 billion per year.

11.2% of Asian American high school students smoke cigarettes.

In 2000, 44.7% of all Asian Americans who had ever smoked reported that they had successfully quit.

41% of Asian American high school students who smoke use light cigarettes.

28% of Asian American middle school students who smoke use light cigarettes.

2.2% of Asian American middle school students smoke.

68.4% of African Americans reported wanting to quit smoking and 45% reported making a quit attempt in 2000.

More than 25% of African American youth are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home.

37.3% of African Americans who have ever smoked have quit.

1995 estimates put the tobacco-related death toll among African Americans at 45,000 per year.

During 2000-2004, smoking-attributable health care costs and productivity losses exceeded $193 billion per year.

During 1997-2001, smoking-attributable productivity losses totaled $92 billion per year.

In 1998, annual smoking-attributable medical expenditures were estimated at $75.5 billion.

63% of high school smokers say they want to quit smoking.

In 2002, nearly 46 million Americans had successfully quit smoking.

Higher smoking rates are associated with lower education levels.

Adults below the poverty level have an average smoking rate of 28.9% compared to 20.3% for people at or above the poverty level.

In the past, Big Tobacco has compared the addictiveness of cigarettes with that of television.

In the past, Big Tobacco has compared the addictiveness of cigarettes with coffee.

In the past, Big Tobacco has compared the addictiveness of cigarettes with M&M’s.

In 1997, a Big Tobacco executive once said, under oath, that he believed Gummy Bears were addictive like cigarettes.

A tobacco company once gave $125,000 worth of food to a charity, according to an estimate by The Wall Street Journal. Then, they spent well over $21 million telling people about it. I guess when you sell a deadly, addictive product, you need all the good PR you can get.

In 1995, a major tobacco company decided to boost cigarette sales by targeting homeless people. They called their plan "Project SCUM: Sub Culture Urban Marketing."

In 1989, one tobacco company’s ideas for reaching minority customers included to "be seen as a friend," "build on black history", and "help them find jobs."

In 1993, the Supreme Court decided that an inmate could sue a prison claiming that exposure to his cellmate’s secondhand smoke could constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

Tobacco companies actually went to court to fight for the right to keep tobacco advertising near high schools. They won. Congrats, Big Tobacco!

In 1993, one tobacco company executive thought it would be a good idea to have his employees mail " grassroots " complaints to airlines about their smoking bans, pretending to be regular customers.

Cigarette companies advertised "light" cigarettes as less harmful to the smoker, although they can deliver the same levels of tar and nicotine.

In 1985, one tobacco company brainstormed targeting potential smokers in school bathrooms, playgrounds, YMCAs, and city parks.

The tobacco industry increased its spending on advertisements and promotions by $2.7 billion between 2002 and 2003.

In 1972, a tobacco company considered adding honey to cigarettes because teenagers like sweet products.

In 1984, a tobacco company called younger adult smokers "replacement smokers."

In 2002, U.S. consumers spent about $88.2 billion on tobacco products.

25% of middle and high school boys and 31% of middle and high school girls smoke light cigarettes.

High school students are more likely than middle school students to smoke light cigarettes.

27% of middle school, and 22% of high school students who smoke, smoke Newport.

Every year, tobacco-related disease kills over 174,000 women.

21.6% of Hispanic high school students smoke cigarettes.

13.3% of all Hispanic adults smoke.

21.4% of White adults smoke.

25.4% of White high school students smoke cigarettes.

8.3% of White middle school students smoke cigarettes.

16.8% of Asian American men smoke compared to 4.6% of Asian American women.

10.4% of all adult Asian Americans smoke.

11.4% of African American high school students smoke cigarettes.

7.5% of African American middle school students smoke cigarettes.

736 people die each year in the U.S. from smoking-related fires.

Of current smokers in the U.S., 719,000 have had a heart attack from smoking.

Over 8.5 million Americans live with tobacco-related illnesses.

Smoking during pregnancy results in the deaths of about 900 infants every year in the U.S.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and exposure to secondhand smoke in infancy double the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

In 1974, a tobacco company explored targeting customers as young as 14.

By the year 2020, tobacco is projected to kill about 10 million people a year worldwide.

Cigarettes and other smoking materials are the number one cause of fire deaths in the U.S.

Today, in the U.S., tobacco products will kill about 1,200 people.

About 90% of lung cancer deaths among women who continue to smoke are tobacco related.

Since 1964, there have been 12 million tobacco-related deaths in the U.S.

The tobacco industry spent $12 billion in 2005 on advertising and promotions.

Hydrogen cyanide is in tobacco smoke. Hydrogen cyanide contributes to cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive lung disease.

In the U.S., tobacco kills more Americans than auto accidents, homicide, AIDS, drugs and fires combined.

In the U.S., 3,000 people die each year from secondhand smoke-related lung cancer.

103,338 people die from smoking-related respiratory diseases each year (pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema, chronic airways obstruction).

128,497 people die from smoking-related cardiovascular diseases each year.

In the U.S., 34,693 people die each year from cancers other than lung, trachea, and bronchus caused by smoking.

In the U.S.,128,922 people die each year from lung, trachea, and bronchus cancers caused by smoking.

In the U.S., over 400,000 people die a tobacco-related death every year.

Radioactive Polonium-210 is found in cigarette smoke. Polonium-210 contributes to lung and larynx cancer.

Cigarette smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the U.S.

Nicotine has been found in the breast milk of smokers.

Chromium is in tobacco smoke. Chromium contributes to lung and larynx cancer.

Carbon monoxide is in tobacco smoke. Carbon monoxide contributes to cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive lung disease.

Acetaldehyde is in tobacco smoke. Acetaldehyde contributes to lung and larynx cancer.

Arsenic is in tobacco smoke.

Benzene is in tobacco smoke. Benzene contributes to lung and larynx cancer.

Ammonia boosts the impact of nicotine

Ammonia is in tobacco smoke.

Nicotine is addictive.

Nicotine is in tobacco smoke.

2-Naphthylamine, 4-Aminobiphenyl, Benzene, Vinyl Chloride, Propylene Oxide, Arsenic, Beryllium, Nickel, Chromium (only haxavalent), Cadmium, and Polonium-210 are human carcinogens found in tobacco smoke.

599 additives are on the composite list released to the government in 1994 by tobacco companies of what may be added to cigarettes. This list includes all ingredients that are used although it does not tell which companies they are used by or which brands they are used in.

Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds.

Nicotine reaches the brain within 10 seconds after smoke is inhaled.

One cigarette company genetically altered tobacco to have 50% more nicotine than regular tobacco.

49% of middle school students who smoke say they want to quit.

Cigarette smokers are 20 times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers.

Since 1964, there have been 94,000 tobacco-related fetal and infant deaths in the U.S.

Smoking causes impaired lung growth during childhood and adolescence.

In the U.S., smoking results in more than 5.6 million years of potential life lost each year.

Of former smokers in the U.S., 637,000 have had a stroke from smoking.

Of former smokers in the U.S., 138,000 have lung cancer from smoking.

Of former smokers in the U.S., 1,154,000 have a cancer other than lung cancer from smoking.

Of former smokers in the U.S., 1,755,000 have had a heart attack from smoking.

Of former smokers in the U.S., 1,743,000 have emphysema from smoking.

Of former smokers in the U.S., 1,872,000 have chronic bronchitis from smoking.

Of current smokers in the U.S., 384,000 have had a stroke from smoking.

Of current smokers in the U.S., 46,000 have lung cancer from smoking.

Of current smokers in the U.S., 358,000 have a cancer other than lung cancer from smoking.

Of current smokers in the U.S., 1,273,000 have emphysema from smoking.

Of current smokers in the U.S., 2,633,000 have chronic bronchitis from smoking.

In the U.S., 30,000 to 60,000 people die each year from secondhand smoke-related heart disease.

In the U.S., about 50,000 people die each year from secondhand smoke-related diseases.