Tobacco related illness is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, each year killing 440,000 people. If you are looking for a reason to stop smoking take a look at some of these facts.

• Every ten seconds, somewhere in the world, someone dies of tobacco-related causes. Tobacco kills more Americans each year than alcohol, cocaine, crack, heroin, homocide, suicide, car accidents, fire and AIDS combined.
• Lung Cancer is caused by the tar and carcinogens in tobacco smoke. There are over 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke and at least 69 of those chemicals are known to cause cancer.
• Smoking increases your chances of developing cancers of the lip, mouth,throat, larynx, bladder, pancreas, stomach, kidney and cervix.
• Heart disease and stroke are caused by carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke.
• Emphysema and chronic bronchitis can make it very difficult to breathe.
• Smokers pay twice as much for life insurance and will die an average of 13-14 years earlier than non-smokers.
• Each cigarette that you don't smoke adds 11 minutes to your life.
• Each pack of cigarettes that you don't smoke adds three and a half hours to your life.
• Each week's worth of cigarettes that you don't smoke adds one day to your life.
• You are likely to live 14 years longer if you don't smoke.