Tobacco Facts

Two-thirds of Louisiana residents think that smoking should not be allowed at all in indoor work areas.
Source: The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living Social Climate Survey. 2003-4

14.5% of pregnant women in Louisiana reported smoking during the last 3 months of pregnancy.
Source: 2003 Louisiana Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System

43% of Louisianans are not protected by smoke-free policies at home.
Source: CDC, Data Highlights 2004

In Louisiana, 650-1150 people will die each year from the effects of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Source: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2004

In an average week, more than 80% of Louisiana residents are exposed to secondhand smoke.
Source: The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living Social Climate Survey. 2003-4

More than two-thirds of Louisiana residents support smoke-free restaurant policies. Over one-third of Louisiana workers are not protected by smoke-free policies.
Source: The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living Social Climate Survey, 2003-4

In Louisiana, 1 out of every 2 children are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes.
Source: CDC. State-specific prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults, and children’s and adolescents’ exposure to ets—United States, 1996. MMWR 1997; 46(44): 1038-1043

Annually, an estimated 35,000 nonsmokers die from coronary health disease in the United States as a result of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Source: CDC. Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and economic costs—United States, 1995-1999. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2002;51(14):300-303

In young children, exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia.
Source: National Cancer Institute. Health Effects of Exposure to Environment Tobacco Smoke. Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 10. Bethesda, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute; 1999

Secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer and coronary heart disease in nonsmoking adults.
Source: National Cancer Institute. Health Effects of Exposure to Environment Tobacco Smoke. Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 10. Bethesda, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute; 1999

Smoking shortens a person’s lifespan by 13 to 14 years.
Source: CDC, Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost and economic costs—United States, 1995-1999. MMWR, 2002.

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of tobacco products and the smoke exhaled by smokers. It contains a complex mixture of more than 4,000 chemicals, 60 of which cause cancer.
Source: National Cancer Institute. Health Effects of Exposure to Environment Tobacco Smoke. Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 10. Bethesda, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute; 1999

Smoking costs $1.66 billion in lost productivity in Louisiana each year.
Source: CDC, “Annual Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Economic Costs—United States 1995-1999,” MMWR, April 11, 2002, www.cdc.gov/mmwr

Tobacco use costs Louisiana $1.15 billion annually in direct medical expenditures, raising the cost of health insurance for everyone.
Source: CDC, “Annual Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Economic Costs—United States 1995-1999,” MMWR, April 11, 2002, www.cdc.gov/mmwr

23.9% of Louisiana adults smoke.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data Highlights, 2004.

25% of all high school students in Louisiana smoke.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2001.