Globally projected tobacco attributable deaths for 2030 can range from 7.4 to 9.7 million.1 The projected global mortality due to smoking related cancers are responsible for one third of the deaths, followed by cardiovascular diseases and chronic respiratory diseases, each responsible for 30% of the deaths.1
4,900 adults die each year from their own smoking. Smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined. Thousands more die from other tobacco-related causes, such as fires caused by smoking and smokeless tobacco use.
Insurance Cost
Tobacco users pay higher insurance premiums than non-tobacco users. Employers (public and private) in the United States have begun to charge employees who use tobacco about $20-$50 more a month in higher health premiums than non-tobacco users.2 Smokers can pay up to three times more for life insurance premiums than nonsmokers.3 Homeowner’s and Renter’s insurance plans ask about smoking in the home and often offer a 2- 10 % discount for non-smokers, averaging about $60 a year less.4
The Cost to Employers
Tobacco use affects productivity and absenteeism, increases use of disability leave, and increases overall health care costs among workers.8 The average annual cost to employers for an employee who smokes is almost $4,000 per smoker, or approximately $1,300 more per year than the cost of a nonsmoker.9
The average smoking employee spends a total of 18 days a year on smoking breaks.11 Tobacco use costs employers an estimated $96.8 billion per year in lost productivity due to sickness and premature death.12 Workplaces that allow smoking on the property pay more for fire insurance and cleaning and maintenance. The increased cost for employees who smoke is due to:10
- Increased absenteeism,
- Increased medical care,
- Increased lost earnings,
- Increased insurance costs other than health costs,
- Increased time lost on the job,
- Increased property damage and depreciation,
- Increased maintenance and cleaning costs,
- Problems caused by second-hand smoke.
Cleaning and Resale of Property
Smoking inside a home or vehicle devalues the property. Most people will not consider buying a home or vehicle if the previous owner smoked in them. If the property is sold, the owner often receives less money than the property is worth.6 In addition to the home and vehicles, furniture, clothing, drapes and other items are difficult to sell due to the smell and residue of tobacco smoke.7
Cleaning and restoring a home or vehicle that is contaminated with tobacco smoke and residue is costly. Cleaning cannot remove all of the toxins or smell from tobacco smoke, replacement is the only method that can remove the hazards from tobacco use.
Landlords and Property Owners
Allowing tobacco use on the property costs landlords and property owners money in the following ways:
- Higher maintenance costs, it can cost $1,250-$2,955 more to clean a smokers’ unit than a non-smoker’s unit.
- Increased tenant turn over. Tobacco smoke can cause nonsmokers to move out. Increased insurance premiums due to the increased fire risk.
- Property losses from smoking-material fires total hundreds of millions of dollars every year.13
- Increased time spent on tenant complaints for secondhand smoke.
Smoking is the leading cause of home fires and the number one cause of fire deaths in the United States.19 Cigarettes cause approximately 1 out of 4 fires and these fires kill 700-900 people every year.20 1 in 4 people killed in home fires is not the smoker whose cigarette caused the fire.
- 34% were children of the smokers.
- 25% were neighbors or friends of the smokers.21
Property losses from smoking -material fires total hundreds of millions of dollars every year.
In May 2008, 150 people lost their homes in Norwich, CT when an apartment complex was destroyed by fire due to discarded smoking materials.
Health Issues
Smokers experience about 6% more physician office visits and spend 27% more days in the hospital than those who never smoked.15 Smokers die 13-14 years earlier than non-smokers. Tobacco use causes coronary heart disease, cancers, stroke, cataracts, lung diseases, infertility, still birth and premature labor, and lower bone density in postmenopausal women.16
Compared with nonsmokers, smoking is estimated to increase the risk of:
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4,700 Adults who die each year from their own smoking
[1] Mathers CD, Loncar D. (2006) Projections of global mortality and burden of disease from 2002 to 2030. PLoS Med 3(11): e442. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0030442. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1664601/pdf/pmed.0030442.pdf
[2] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11394043/ns/health-addictions/t/smokers-paying-extra-health-insurance/
[3] http://www.insurancerate.com/stop-smoking-to-save-on-life-insurance.php
[4] http://www.costofsmoking.com/smokers_have_higher_home_owners_insurance_costs.html
[5] http://www.costofsmoking.com/
[6] http://www.quitsmoking.com/info/articles/costofsmoking.htm
[7] http://www.quitsmoking.com/info/articles/costofsmoking.htm
9] http://www.mayoclinichealthsolutions.com/products/Tobacco-Quitline-Economic-Impact.cfm
10] U.S. Department of Labor’s Community Service Agency
[11] http://www.tcln.org/cessation/pdfs/1a.Insurance=rev%206-29-05web.pdf
[12] http://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/evaluation/topics/tobacco-use.html
[14] Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
[15] http://www.cdc.gov
[16] http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/
[17] http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/
[19] http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/tfrs/v5i5.pdf U.S. Fire Administration / FEMA.
[21] http://www.usfa.fema.gov/campaigns/smoking