Every year in the U.S., more than 480,000 people die from tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, making it the leading cause of preventable death in this country. Tragically, each day thousands of kids still pick up a tobacco product for the first time.
Smoking and use of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, cigars and smokeless tobacco, cause or worsen numerous diseases and conditions. Learn more about how smoking and using tobacco impacts your health.
What You Need to Know About E-Cigarettes
Get answers to common questions about e-cigarettes, including health consequences, risks of secondhand emissions, kids and e-cigarettes and find resources to help schools, parents and teens.
What's In a Cigarette?
Arsenic, lead, tar—these are just few of more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke. See what else is in a cigarette.
The Impact of Tobacco Use
Tobacco use has a larger impact on certain populations. Learn more about these groups and how the tobacco industry markets its products.
Kids and Smoking
The best way to prevent tobacco-related illness and death is to keep kids from starting to smoke in the first place. See why kids start and get tips to talk to your kids about smoking.
Page last updated: July 13, 2020