British American Tobacco New Zealand - The health risks of smoking
Smoking is one of the leading preventable causes of disease and avoidable premature death globally.
The risks of smoking are well documented. Smoking can cause numerous diseases and cancers. According to the American Lung Association, the four major smoking-related diseases are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease and stroke, which are cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and cancer (specifically lung cancer).
Quitting smoking reduces the relative risk of numerous smoking-related diseases and increases life expectancy for former adult smokers.
What you should consider about the risks of smoking:
- Smoking is a cause of various serious and fatal diseases.
- The health risks in groups vary by the amount smoked, being highest in those that smoke for more years and smoke more cigarettes per day.
- The risks reduce in groups of people who quit smoking, and the reductions increase from quitting earlier.
- Experts advise you should never smoke during pregnancy.
- The only way to be certain of avoiding the risks of smoking is to not smoke.
You can read more about the health effects of smoking on our global website here . You can also read more here about our ongoing research, development and commitment to potentially less harmful products.
In New Zealand, advice and support to quit smoking is available through Quitline, 0800 778 778.