Leave The Pack Behind - University of Guelph

Smoking and Fire ...

Here are some grim statistics about smoking and fire in Canada:

  • Cigarettes are the number one cause of fire-related deaths in Canada and worldwide.
  • Fires caused by cigarettes cause one out of every five fire deaths in Canada.
  • In 2002, a total of 9,414 fires in Canada were caused by “smokers’ material and open flame”.
  • The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs estimates that approximately 70 deaths and 300 injuries are caused every year by smoking-related fires.

Fires due to cigarettes are a costly problem in Canada:

  • Fires started by cigarettes tend to result in more property damage than fires started by other sources.
  • The cost of forest fires due to smoking was $26 million in 2002.
  • The cost of home fires related to smoking was $59.5 million in 2002.

Smoking-related fires are usually the result of careless smoking:

  • In a recent Ontario study, one in four smokers admitted to leaving lit cigarettes unattended in the last 30 days and 15% admitted to smoking in bed.
  • The same study reported that 1.7% of smokers reported that a fire had started in their home due to a cigarette.
  • Most fires caused by smoking materials start on beds, furniture, or in the trash.

Source: http://www.nnsw.ca/factsheets/statistics_smoking_fires.pdf

Let's Make A Deal

Contest Kickoff is January 19th, 2009

Ten Good Reasons to Quit Smoking

Courtesy of http://www.nnsw.ca/about.html

  1. You will stop exposing your family and friends to secondhand smoke.
    • Secondhand smoke can cause leukemia (a type of cancer) in cats, and dogs in smoking households have a greater risk of cancer. Secondhand smoke also creates asthma and breathing problems in pets.
  2. You will reduce the risk of fire in your home.
    • Cigarettes are the number one cause of fire-related deaths in Canadaix and worldwide.
    • Fires started by cigarettes tend to result in more property damage than fires started by other sources.
  3. You will lower your risk of disease and increase your life span.
    • Countless studies that have proven that cigarette smoke causes more than two dozen diseases and conditions including cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease.
    • Men who smoke can expect to lose approximately 6.5 years of their life and women can lose up to 9 years. (This is based on the fact that the overall average age for smoking related death in Canada is 71.2 years for men and 73.4 years for women. The average life expectancy for most Canadians is 77.7 years for men and 82.5 years for women.)
  4. You will decrease the chances that your children will start smoking.
    • A recent Canadian study has shown that exposure to secondhand smoke may lead to symptoms of nicotine dependence in children who have never before had a cigarette. This addiction may make it easier for them to begin smoking.
  5. You will have more money to spend on things you enjoy.
    • Depending on where you live in Canada, if you smoke just 3 packages of cigarettes a week, you may be spending over $1300 per year on cigarettes.
  6. You won’t have to search around for places to smoke when you are out shopping, at a sporting event, or eating in a restaurant.
    • As more and more communities pass smoke-free bylaws, there are fewer and fewer places to smoke indoors and even outdoors.
  7. You will be able to enjoy physical activity more.
    • People who smoke have more trouble breathing and find it more difficult to exercise. When you quit smoking, one of the first things you will notice is that you will be able to breathe more easily and exercise will be easier.
  8. You will be able to taste and smell food again . . . and your clothing and home will smell better.
    • When you quit smoking, your sense of taste and smell will begin to improve almost right away.
    • You, your clothing and your home will smell much fresher and cleaner.
  9. You will have fewer wrinkles.
    • Research has shown that facial wrinkles, while not yet visible, can be seen under a microscope in smokers as young as 20.
  10. You won’t be as stressed.
    • Many people think that smoking helps them relax, but this has proven not to be the case. According to researchers at Dundee University in Scotland, smoking causes physical changes in your brain that get in the way of the body's natural stress-relieving hormone. As a result, smokers become lacking in this hormone and may suffer higher levels of stress.

Smoking & The Environment

Second hand smoke isn't the only way smoking is detrimental to others. The environmental implications of cigarettes and other tobacco products needs a closer look.

  • Annually, 4.5 Trillion cigarette butts are discarded into the environment.
  • 1 IN EVERY 3 Pieces of litter is a cigarette butt.

What's in your butt?

  • Cigarette butts are made from cellulose acetate, a plastic that takes 12 years to decompose.
  • Over 4,000 toxic chemicals seep out of those cigarette butts and into the environment.

How tobacco robs the environment:

  • Every year, 600 million trees are cut down to dry the tobacco.
  • 11.4 million tonnes of solid wood are used every year for fuel and processing.
  • 6 kilometers of paper are used for every hour that cigarettes are being made.

Come Join Our Meetings!

LTPB UoG meets every Monday evening at 5:30p in JT Powell building on the second floor. We invite everyone to come out and to be an active member of our team!