Smoking kills.

Nicotine,the primary psychoactive chemical in tobacco and therefore cigarettes, is very addictive.About half of cigarette smokers die of tobacco-related diseaseand lose on average 14 years of life. Cigarette use by pregnant women has also been shown to cause birth defects, including low birth weight, fetal abnormalities, and premature birth.Second-hand smoke from cigarettes has been shown to be injurious to bystanders,which has led to legislation that has prohibited smoking in many workplaces and public areas. The smoke produced is an aerosol containing over 4,000 distinct chemical compounds, including nicotine, carbon monoxide and acrolein.Over 50 of these are carcinogenic.Cigarettes are a frequent source of house fires, which prompted both the European Union and the United States to ban cigarettes that are not fire-standard compliant from 2011 onwards.