1,001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You: The Ultimate Bathroom Reader (57 page)

“The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006,
www.surgeongeneral.gov
.

417

FACT :
About 18 percent of women aged fifteen to forty-four
smoke cigarettes while pregnant
.
You’d think a fifteen-year-old pregnant girl would have better judgment.

“The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006,
www.surgeongeneral.gov
.

418

FACT :
Almost
one in five adult American women smoke cigarettes
, including: 20.7 percent of eighteen-to twenty-four-year-olds, 21.4 percent of twenty-five- to forty-four-year-olds, 18.8 percent of forty-five- to sixty-four-year-olds, and 8.3 percent of women sixty-five years or older smoke.
The sixty-five+ statistic is a bit misleading, however, because most long-term smokers are already dead by then.

“The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006,
www.surgeongeneral.gov
.

419

FACT :
Cigarette smoking is most prevalent
among American Indian or Alaska Native women
.
So if you’re in a crowded bar and need to bum a smoke, look for the gal in a feather headdress or a parka.

“The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006,
www.surgeongeneral.gov
.

420

FACT :
Among women,
cigarette use correlates with level of education
. Smoking estimates are highest for women without traditional high-school diplomas and lowest for women with college degrees.
Shocking, I know.

“The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006,
www.surgeongeneral.gov
.

421

FACT :
Smoking is more prevalent
among women who live below the poverty level
than women living at or above it.
Hey, they gotta do something while they’re filling out lottery tickets.

“The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006,
www.surgeongeneral.gov
.

422

FACT :
Exposure to secondhand smoke
causes disease and premature death
in those who don’t smoke, as cigarette smoke contains hundreds toxic or carcinogenic chemicals like formaldehyde, arsenic, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide.
Seems like the formaldehyde would keep you preserved a few extra years.

“The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006,
www.surgeongeneral.gov
.

423

FACT :
Exposure to secondhand smoke can produce
immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system
, interfering with the way the heart, blood, and vascular systems normally function, and increasing the risk of a heart attack.
Yes, but secondhand smokers get to smoke for free! Think of all the money they’re saving.

“The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006,
www.surgeongeneral.gov
.

FACT :
Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or in the workplace
face a 30 percent increase
in their risk of developing heart disease or lung cancer.
”Secondhand” is a bit pejorative. “Pre-owned” would be a nice way to say the same thing.

424

“The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006,
www.surgeongeneral.gov
.