From Health Canada's Healthy Living Website

Every 11 minutes, a Canadian dies from tobacco use. Every 10 minutes, two Canadian teenagers start smoking cigarettes; one of them will lose their life because of it. Yearly, more than a thousand Canadians who never even smoked die - from exposure to tobacco smoke. Thousands more are diagnosed with illnesses related to tobacco use. Year in and year out, more than 45,000 Canadians perish - because of tobacco.

That's more than five times the number of Canadians who die from traffic injuries, alcohol abuse, murder and suicide combined. And yet ... tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of premature death and disease in Canada.

Toxic emissions listings on tobacco packages - What has changed?

Until June 2001, only a few components of cigarette smoke, such as tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide were found on cigarette packs. The emission levels of these toxic chemicals were indicated as a single amount -  for example - "Tar 14 mg".

The new Tobacco Products Information Regulations adds three new toxic chemicals to the list -- benzene, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide. The emission levels of all six toxic chemicals are now presented in the form of a range (a low number and a high number). This range reflects how people smoke differently -- for example, "Tar 14-34 mg".

Many people think that the chemicals in cigarettes are in such small amounts that there is no need for concern. But do not be fooled! Even if a cigarette pack displays lower toxic emission levels, the effect of the exposure to these chemicals can be cumulative: every time you inhale cigarette smoke, directly or indirectly, the risk to your health increases.

For example, a pack-a-day smoker will smoke 7,300 cigarettes a year and will inhale the equivalent of almost 1 gram of formaldehyde that year. There are still over 3,999 other chemicals whose effects on the body continue to add up.

While these new listings increase awareness about the dangerous chemicals in cigarettes, they still do not tell the whole story.

Toxic emissions

The list of emission levels of six toxic chemicals released when smoking will be printed on a side of the package. This information is in the form of a range (a low number and a high number) that reflects how people smoke differently.

For example, when the pack declares "Carbon monoxide 15-28mg", you will now know that you are inhaling significant amounts of this noxious chemical. Since no two individuals smoke the same way, the new measurement standards give a better idea of the range of toxic chemicals to which you are exposed when smoking.

Current* vs. previous indications of emission levels

* Providing a low and high range for emission levels of these toxic chemicals is reflective of how people smoke differently and provides a better idea of the range of toxic chemicals to which people are exposed when smoking. The best way to reduce the potential health risks associated with these toxic chemicals is to quit!

More information on testing procedures >>

Why is the Government of Canada making companies do this?

Health Canada's top priority is keeping Canadians healthy, and one of the best ways to do so is to make sure we are informed of health hazards. There are many more than six hazardous chemicals in tobacco smoke. Health Canada wants Canadians to have more accurate knowledge of the chemicals in cigarettes, what smokers and those around them are exposed to, and what it may mean for our health. Information on the amounts of 25 cigarette constituents and 40 cigarette emissions, collected by Health Canada, is available.

Are there really 4000 chemicals in tobacco smoke?

It is estimated that there are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke and at least 50 of them have been proven to cause cancer. Most of the toxic chemicals of cigarette smoke, including carbon monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide, are created when tobacco burns. Others such as lead, nitrosamines and nicotine are found naturally in unburned tobacco but are released as it burns. Health Canada requires manufacturers to test and report on 43 chemicals found in smoke - including the six now listed on packages.

More than 37,000 people will die this year in Canada due to smoking. Of those, more than 300 non-smokers will die of lung cancer and at least 700 non-smokers will die of coronary heart disease caused by exposure to second-hand smoke.

Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including at least 50 that cause, initiate or promote cancer such as tar, ammonia, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and benzopyrene.

Although the amount of chemicals in each cigarette is small, it is cumulative -- the amount stored in the body increases with each puff of a cigarette. There is a little bit of chemical in each cigarette puff, and there are over 10 puffs per cigarette. Over a year, at one pack of cigarettes a day, a smoker will inhale 73,000 puffs of dangerous chemicals.

Data provided courtesy of Health Canada