Cigar Fact Sheet
Years ago, it was rare to see anyone other than rich old men smoking cigars. Today women and the young are lighting them up. Since 1993, cigar sales in the U.S. have increased by almost 50%. Cigars are smelly and expensive, so why are more people smoking them? Are they safer than cigarettes? Are they Addictive? You decide, but before you do, you'll need some facts.
Why are cigars becoming more popular?
Cigar companies have a very successful advertising campaign that has changed the image of cigars. By using young celebrities in ads, they've tricked some people into thinking that cigars are a symbol of power, wealth, and glamour.
Advertising Tricks
Hollywood stars appearing as cigar smokers in movies. They usually portray the rich, glamourous, or hero type of character. (52% of U.S. movies feature cigar smoking.
  • Magazine and news articles that show cigar smoking as stylish.
  • Celebrities and sports figures appearing in public with cigars.
  • Promotions by cigarette companies on the Internet.
Are cigars addictive?
The tobacco industry claims that smoking cigars is not addictive. However, we know that nicotine is highly addictive and cigars contain nicotine. All tobacco products do! The level of nicotine content in a single large cigar may be greater than the level of a whole package of cigarettes. Nicotine in cigar smoke is primarily absorbed through the mouth. Just holding an unlit cigar in the mouth will allow nicotine in cigar juices to be absorbed through the lips, tongue, and gum.
Are cigars safe?
Cigars contain dangerous chemicals just like cigarettes. In fact, an average-sized cigar can produce 7 times as much tar and 11 times as much carbon monoxide as one cigarette! A large cigar can contain as much tobacco as a pack of cigarettes! Yet, the cigar companies tell us they are safe because people smoking them don't inhale. The truth is, many people do inhale, sometimes not meaning to. Whether they inhale or not, cigar smoke penetrates the mouth, nose, and throat and keeps the smoker at risk for oral and throat cancers. Studies show that compared with cigarette smokers, cigar smokers:
  • Have higher death rates for cancers of the oral cavity. (Cheek, mouth, gum, and lips)
  • Have greater risks of prostate cancer and male breast cancers, cancers not now associated with cigarettes
  • While lung cancer risk is lower for cigar smokers than cigarette smokers, the risk increases with more frequent cigar smoking.
  • May have the same risk for emphysema as cigarette smokers.

Compared with nonsmokers, cigar smokers have:

  • Four times the risk of developing lung cancer
  • Six times the risk of cancers of the mouth and oral cavity
  • Three to four times the risk of cancer of the larynx
  • An increased risk of kidney cancer
  • A significantly increased risk of liver cancer
  • A greater risk of developing colorectal cancer.
  • Higher death rates from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • Cigar smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to suffer from chronic cough and phlegm.
  • Often suffer from badly stained teeth and bad breath.

Secondhand cigar smoke

Because cigars have more tobacco than cigarettes, and because they often burn for much longer, they give off greater amounts of secondhand smoke, also know as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) or passive smoke. Secondhand smoke includes both the smoke from the end of the cigar and the smoke by the smoker.

ETS from cigars contain many of the same poisons and cancer-causing agents as does cigarette smoke but in higher concentrations. Some of the the toxins or irritants in cigar smoke include:

  • carbon monoxide
  • nicotine
  • hydrogen cyanide
  • ammonia
  • volatile aldehydes

Carcinogens (cancer causing agents) in cigar smoke include:

  • benzene
  • aromatic amines
  • vinyl chloride
  • ethylene oxide
  • arsenic
  • chromium
  • cadmium
  • nitrosamines
  • polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons

In a recent study, researchers found that the concentrations of carbon monoxide at two cigar social events in San Francisco were higher than the levels found on a busy California freeway. Had these indoor exposures lasted eight hours, they would have exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for outdoor air established by the Environmental Protection Agency. There is clearly an increased risk of lung cancer form cigar ETS.

What do you think?

The only state that requires cigar packages to carry warning labels is California. Do you think this should be required by every state?

Cigar companies don't report what ingredients they add to the tobacco when they manufacture cigars. The manufacturers of the food we eat must list the ingredients of their products on the labels. Do you think the companies that manufacture tobacco products should be required to also?