Cigar Fact Sheet
* Cigars are not a safe alternative to cigarettes.
* Cigar smokers can be at greater risk of death from cancer of the
throat, mouth and esophagus than nonsmokers.
* Cigar smokers, many of whom smoke an average of eight cigars per week,
often suffer from badly stained teeth and chronic bad breath.
* Cigar smokers who say they don't inhale are still at risk for oral and
pharyngeal (throat) cancers. Many people do inhale cigars (sometimes
unintentionally). Whether they inhale or not, the cigar comes in
contact with the lips, tongue and mouth tissues. The cigar smoke
permeates the mouth, nose and throat.
* Cigar smokers may have the same risk for emphysema as do cigarette
smokers. A Danish study found no difference in risk of emphysema
between current cigarette smokers and former smokers who switched to
cigars or pipes. Their risk was reduced only if all tobacco consumption
declined.
* Cigars were banned from restaurants long before cigarettes, mainly
because of their foul odor; and cigars also produce secondhand smoke
just like cigarettes.
* Research links cigars with cancers of the mouth and lung, as well as
with stroke, heart attacks and lung disease.
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See accompanying news release CIGARSMK.ADA
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