Facts about tobacco
- Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in Ontario and Canada.
- Tobacco use is the single most important cause of cancer. Smoking causes about 90% of lung cancer deaths in women and almost 80% of lung cancer deaths in men. The risk of dying from lung cancer is more than 23 times greater among men who smoke cigarettes, and about 13 times greater among women who smoke cigarettes compared with those who have never smoked.
- Tobacco use causes lung cancer, cancers of the oral cavity (e.g., larynx, pharynx and esophagus) and urinary tract (bladder and kidney), cervical cancer, and acute myeloid leukemia, as well as some cancers of the stomach and pancreas.
- All forms of tobacco—smoking, chewing and second-hand tobacco smoke—can cause cancer.
- Second-hand smoke has been classified as a Group A human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
- Tobacco use is also a major cause of death from other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and lung diseases.
- A study from 2002 indicated that the total economic cost of tobacco use in Ontario was nearly $6.1-billion, including $1.6-billion in direct health care costs.
More information about the effects of tobacco on health is available in the Tobacco or Health monograph.
Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy
The Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy, a comprehensive tobacco control strategy, was launched by the Ontario government in 2004. The strategy focuses on public education campaigns, programs and policies aimed at preventing young people from starting to smoke; protecting Ontarians from exposure to second-hand smoke; and helping smokers quit. The Smoke-Free Ontario Act, comprehensive tobacco control legislation, came into effect on May 31, 2006.
Cancer Care Ontario supports the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy through the administration of the Program Training and Consultation Centre (PTCC).
The Program Training and Consultation Centre (PTCC)
The PTCC is a resource centre of the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy that builds capacity in tobacco control at the local level through training, consultation, resource development, referral services, and better practices in tobacco control. Funded by the Ministry of Health Promotion, PTCC is a partnership between Cancer Care Ontario, Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Region of Waterloo Public Health and Sudbury & District Health Unit.
The Media Network is a service of PTCC that was created to increase positive media coverage of tobacco control issues at local and provincial levels. Some of the Media Network's key services include media relations training and consultations, daily media clippings, and monthly media trend reports.
Cancer 2020 Targets
Cancer 2020 is a comprehensive action plan for cancer prevention and early detection. The goal is to reduce cancer incidence and mortality in Ontario by the year 2020. Cancer 2020 established the following targets for reduction in tobacco use by the year 2020:
- Only 2% of teens will be current cigarette smokers
- Only 5% of adults (ages 18 and older) will be current cigarette smokers
- 90% of daily smokers will make at least one attempt to quit smoking each year
- Less than 1% of Ontarians will be exposed to second-hand smoke in the home and in private vehicles
- 100% of public places (including bars, restaurants and gaming facilities) in Ontario will be smoke-free
Links
These links will take you to web sites that provide information about tobacco control and smoking cessation.
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