Tobacco smoke contains 4,000 toxic chemicals, more than 40 of which cause cancer. Smoking is the single greatest preventable risk to health and is responsible for more than 120,000 deaths in Britain each year. No wonder 70% of smokers say they want to quit!

Second-hand tobacco smoke harms nonsmokers and up to 12,000 deaths in Britain each year are caused by exposure to secondhand smoke. Employers have a legal obligation to protect the health of their employees. Despite this, more than 3,000,000 non-smokers are exposed to second-hand smoke at work. This leaves employers open to the risk of health and safety Iitigation.

When exposed to second-hand smoke, nonsmokers suffer effects ranging from headache, sore throat, dizziness and feeling sick, increased coughing, wheezing and phlegm production, stinging watery eyes and their clothes and hair smelling awful - interestingly many who suffer this inconvenience will not ask a smoker to stop for fear of causing offence! More importantly, 25 years of research shows that second-hand smoking causes increased risk of cancer, heart disease, vascular disease and numerous respiratory conditions. Children, pregnant women and those with conditions such as asthma are particularly vulnerable. Eighty-two per cent of people with asthma say that other people's tobacco smoke makes their asthma worse.

How does tobacco smoke damage my business?

An average smoker may take six 10 minute smoke breaks each day - that's an hour of work lost for each smoker employed - five hours per smoker per week!

Non smokers may resent the number of additional breaks taken by their smoking colleagues and take more breaks themselves.

Due to these tensions staff morale and productivity may suffer.

Smokers are more likely to be ill and take longer to recover, placing additional strain on business.

Second-hand smoking may damage the health of non-smokers leading to sickness,loss of productivity and the threat of litigation.

Businesses that don't provide separate areas for smokers and non-smokers may be failing to meet their health and safety obligations.

Smoking increases fire risk and so insurance premiums will be higher.

Nicotine-stained furnishings, curtains, and decorations need cleaning and replacing more often.

Many non-smokers avoid places where smoking is allowed. More than 70% of people are non smokers and generally they have more money to spend, because they don't smoke.

Did you know tobacco smoke contains around 4,000 chemicals - more than 40 of which can cause cancer?

Here's the full horror:

Tar

Every time you smoke you deposit tar in your lungs. Tar looks like treacle and contains thousands of chemicals Carbon monoxide

A poisonous gas that reduces the amount of oxygen your blood can carry, so it's harder to breathe and your heart must work much harder

Nicotine

Highly addictive. Keeps you wanting to smoke

Lead

Highly poisonous metal used in pencils and batteries

Acetone

A paint-stripper and nail polish remover

Cadmium

Highly poisonous metal used in batteries

Benzene

A solvent in fuel and chemicals

Ammonia

As in cleaning fluids

Cyanide

Deadly poison

Shellac

An ingredient in wood varnish

Arsenic

A deadly poison, an insecticide

Formaldehyde

A chemical used to preserve dead bodies

Radium

A radioactive gas

Cigarettes can also contain:

acetic acid, aluminium acetate, ammonium chloride, ammonium acetate, balsam oil, benzoic acid, beech tar extract, calcium chloride, carbon dioxide, cellulose fibre, chlorophyll, cypress oil, ethyl, formic acid, heptanone, iron oxides, liquid paraffin BP, locust bean gum, magnesium chloride, magnesium phosphate, methyl, methyl butyric acid, oak bark extract, octanone, orris root, phosphoric acid, potassium phosphate, propane, quebracho bark, sodium hydroxide, titanium dioxide.

Updated: 13:05 Monday, May 09, 2005