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\nA cigarette is any roll of tobacco wrapped in paper or in any substance not containing tobacco. It is the most widely used tobacco product in the United States.
\nTobacco smoke contains a deadly mix of more than 7,000 chemicals. Hundreds are toxic. About 70 are known to cause cancer. Learn more about the health effects of smoking cigarettes. The chemicals in cigarette smoke also effect those around you. Breathing secondhand smoke from cigarettes is harmful to both children and adults. Learn more about the health effects of secondhand smoke.
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View an accessible version of this infographic.
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Breathing secondhand smoke from cigarettes is harmful to both children and adults. Learn more about the health effects of secondhand smoke.
\nYou may have chosen low-tar, mild, light, or ultra light cigarettes in the past because they seemed less harmful. However\u2014if you took long, deep, or frequent puffs\u2014tar exposure from light cigarettes was just as high as that from regular cigarettes.
\nThe Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (PDF \u2013 340 KB) bans tobacco manufacturers from using the terms \u201clight,\u201d \u201clow,\u201d or \u201cmild\u201d in product labeling and advertisements. This provision went into effect on June 22, 2010.
\nAll cigarettes are harmful. Learn more about the health effects of light cigarettes.
Menthol is a substance naturally found in mint plants such as peppermint and spearmint that gives a cooling sensation. It is an additive in cigarettes, cigars, little cigars, smokeless tobacco products, and tobacco rolling paper. Brands marketed as menthol cigarettes have enough menthol added to describe them as having a menthol flavor. However, brands not labeled as menthol may contain low levels of it as well.
\nThe tobacco industry has marketed menthol cigarettes as being a \"healthier\" and \"safer\" cigarette, emphasizing its cool and refreshing taste. In reality, menthol reduces the harshness of cigarette smoke, which makes it easier to smoke\u2014especially for children and teens.
\nMany people choose menthol cigarettes because they believe menthol cigarettes are safer than non-menthol cigarettes. However, no evidence exists indicating that menthol cigarettes are safer. All cigarette smoking is linked to many cancers and other diseases. No tobacco product is safe. Learn more about the health effects of menthol cigarettes.
Read the announcement that the Food and Drug Administration is seeking public input on menthol in cigarettes.
Read a Q&A about menthol.
From 2000 to 2011, the use of non-cigarette smoked tobacco products increased dramatically. The largest increases were in use of pipe tobacco\u2014used for roll-your-own cigarettes\u2014and large cigars.
\nNo tobacco product is safe. Cigars are large, rolled bundles of dried and cured tobacco. There are three major types of cigars sold in the United States\u2014large cigars, cigarillos, and little cigars. While some people still use traditional pipes with a bow, pipe tobacco is often purchased for roll your own cigarettes.
\nLike cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco smoke contains toxic and cancer causing chemicals that are harmful to both smokers and nonsmokers. Unlike cigarettes, cigars sold in the United States are permitted to be manufactured with flavors, which can mask the harshness of tobacco and appeal particularly to youth and young adults. Learn more about the health effects of smoking cigars and pipes.
\nBidis are small, thin, hand-rolled cigarettes primarily imported to the United States from India and other Southeast Asian countries. They are tobacco wrapped in a tendu or temburni leaf\u2014plants native to Asia\u2014that may be tied with colorful string at one or both ends. Bidis can be flavored\u2014such as chocolate, cherry, or mango\u2014or unflavored. Flavored bidis, however, are not allowed in the United States because of the ban on flavored cigarettes.
\nKreteks\u2014sometimes referred to as clove cigarettes\u2014are imported from Indonesia. They typically contain about 60% tobacco and 40% ground cloves. Kreteks are banned in the United States because of the ban on flavored cigarettes.
\nNo tobacco product is safe. A limited amount of research on the long-term health effects of bidis and kreteks has been conducted in the United States. However, research studies from India show that bidi smoking is associated with cancer and other health conditions. Additionally, research studies from Indonesia show that kretek smoking is associated with lung problems.
\nHookahs\u2014sometimes called water pipes\u2014are used to smoke specially made tobacco that is available in a variety of flavors. Hookahs originated in ancient Persia and India and have been used for centuries. A typical modern hookah has a head (with holes in the bottom), a metal body, a water bowl, and a flexible hose with a mouthpiece. Tobacco smoke is drawn through water or ice in the water bowl and cooled before it is inhaled.
\nWhile hookah smokers may consider this practice less harmful than smoking cigarettes, no tobacco product is safe. Water pipe smoking delivers the addictive drug nicotine and hookah smokers may absorb higher concentrations of the toxins found in cigarette smoke. A typical 1-hour-long hookah smoking session involves inhaling 100\u2013200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.
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