Trends and facts Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S. Smoking not only harms the health of those who smoke: Exposure to secondhand smoke also causes at least 35,000 heart disease deaths and 3,000 lung cancer deaths every year in non-smokers [1]. Tobacco use shortens life About one of every three tobacco users dies prematurely. Adult smokers lose an average of 13-14 years of life because they smoked [2]. In Minnesota, one in every seven deaths each year is related to smoking, according to the Minnesota Department of Health [3]. Early death isn’t the only problem tobacco users face. More than 8.5 million Americans are living with smoking-related illnesses. Chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and heart disease are the leaders [4]. Secondhand smoke: a major health hazard Secondhand smoke doesn't just smell bad, it's toxic!  It contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including several that can cause cancer [5]. Nonsmoking women regularly exposed to secondhand smoke have a 91% higher risk of heart attack or death than other women [6]. And short-term exposure to secondhand smoke may trigger a heart attack in high-risk individuals: In the six months after Helena, Montana prohibited smoking in all workplaces and public places, hospital admissions for heart attacks declined by 40% [7]. Our programs Through Prevention Minnesota, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota supports a comprehensive strategy to reduce tobacco use. Our programs discourage smoking, encourage quitting and protect people from secondhand smoke. Explore this site to learn more. Endnotes U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and economic costs – United States, 1995-1999. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 51(14): pp. 300-03, April 12, 2002. Available online at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5114a2.htm Ibid. Minnesota Department of Health. Toll of Tobacco Use in Minnesota. Background Information. December 2002. Available online at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/tpc/tobtoll03.pdf U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cigarette smoking-attributable morbidity – United States, 2000. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 52(35): pp. 842-844, September 5, 2003. Available online at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5235a4.htm National Cancer Institute. Risks Associated with Smoking Cigarettes with Low Machine-measured Yields of Tar and Nicotine. Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 13. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001. NIH Pub. No. 02-5074. Available online at http://dccps.nci.nih.gov/tcrb/monographs/13/m13_5.pdf Kawachi et al., A Prospective Study of Passive Smoking and Coronary Heart Disease. Circulation, 1997. 95: 2374-2379. Sargent, R.P. et al. Reduced incidence of admissions for myocardial infarction associated with public smoking ban: before and after study. British Medical Journal 2004. 328:977-80.