Healthy living
Smoking and tobacco

Smoking and tobacco

  • Tobacco smoke contains many chemicals that are harmful to people who smoke and non-smokers.
  • Smoking can cause 16 different types of cancer and other health issues such as asthma.
  • Support is available to help you quit smoking.

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and illness in WA causing over 1,500 deaths every year.

Two out of three long term smokers will die early from a disease caused by smoking.

Health effects of smoking

Tobacco smoke contains many chemicals that are harmful to people who smoke and non-smokers. Of the 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 250 are known to be harmful and 69 cause cancer.

Nicotine is the addictive drug in tobacco. After you’ve been smoking for a while, your body gets used to nicotine and relies on it to feel normal.

Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and can cause 16 different types of cancer.

Smoking can also cause many other health issues, such as:

  • asthma
  • heart and blood circulation diseases
  • lung diseases
  • eye diseases
  • dental diseases
  • diseases of the stomach, gut and bowel.

Smoking can harm your immune system, which means you may get sick more often and take longer to recover than non-smokers.

Learn more about the health effects of smoking and tobacco on the Australian Government Department of Health website (external site).

Risks of second-hand smoke

Being exposed to other people’s tobacco smoke (known as second-hand smoke or passive smoking) is also harmful to health, especially for babies and children, pregnant women, and people living with chronic health conditions.

Second-hand smoke refers to the smoke from the end of a burning tobacco cigarette and the smoke exhaled out by the person smoking.

When second-hand smoke is inhaled by non-smokers, they are also breathing the same harmful chemicals as a person who smokes.

Exposure to second-hand smoke can cause coronary heart disease and lung cancer in non-smokers, and increase the risk of:

Non-smokers can also experience eye, nasal and throat irritation, a cough, wheezing and shortness of breath.

Learn more about passive smoking on the Australian Department of Health website (external site).

Benefits of quitting smoking

Quitting smoking has major health benefits at any age, even if you already have an illness caused by smoking. The moment you stop smoking your body begins to repair itself almost straight away and you reduce your risk of developing serious health issues and diseases caused by smoking.

It is never too late to quit. Quitting smoking is one of the best things a person who smokes can do to improve and protect their health.

Time since quitting  Health benefits
First month
  • After 12 hours, the excess carbon monoxide is out of your blood.
  • After 24 hours, the oxygen level in your blood increases, improving your circulation. Your risk of heart attack begins to decrease.
  • After 5 days, most nicotine is out of your body.
  • Within a week, your sense of taste and smell begins to improve.
  • Within a month, your skin appearance is likely to improve.
First year
  • Within 2 months, your lungs stop producing extra phlegm caused by smoking.
  • Within 3 months, your lung function and blood flow improves.
  • Within 9 months, coughing, sinus congestion, and shortness of breath all decrease. Immune system improves and your lungs’ natural cleaning system starts regrowing.
  • In 12 months, your risk of heart disease has halved (compared to someone who smokes).
Long term
  • After 5 years, your risk of stroke has significantly decreased to that of a non-smoker.
  • After 10 years, the risk of lung cancer is less than half of that of a person who has never smoked.
  • After 15 years, your risk of heart disease is almost the same as a person who has never smoked.

Even though withdrawal symptoms can be hard, remember they are a good sign. They show your body is adjusting to being free from the chemicals in tobacco smoke.

Research shows, in the long term, the average body weight of ex-smokers is similar to people who have never smoked.

Increases your savings

Quitting smoking saves you money. If you smoke 20 cigarettes a day, you can save over $12,000 in a year if you quit smoking. Use Make Smoking History’s Quit Savings calculator (external site) to see how much you can save.

Protect those around you

Quitting smoking is the single best way to protect family members, coworkers, friends and pets from health risks associated with passive smoking.

Learn more about benefits of quitting smoking on the Make Smoking History website (external site). 

Support to quit smoking

Research shows most people who smoke want to quit. There are many different ways you can quit smoking.

Quitline – 13 78 48 (13 QUIT)

Quitline (external site) provides confidential telephone support for people who want to quit smoking or want more information about quitting smoking. A trained counsellor can help you to plan and develop strategies to quit smoking for good.

Quitline is tailored to meet the needs of priority populations, including pregnant women, young people, and people living with mental health conditions. Aboriginal Quitline counsellors are also available to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who smoke.

The WA Department of Health provides funding for Western Australia’s Quitline service.

Make Smoking History

Make Smoking History (external site) raises public awareness of the harm caused by smoking, the benefits of quitting and provides information, resources, and tips to support quitting.

Make Smoking History is delivered by Cancer Council WA and is jointly funded by the Department of Health WA, Healthway and the Cancer Council WA.

My QuitBuddy app

My QuitBuddy (external site) is an app that helps you quit and stay quit. It provides tips to help overcome cravings, tracking systems to chart your progress and the facts to help you understand the impact smoking has on your health.

Speak to a health professional

Chat to your doctor, pharmacist or health professional. They can help you find the best method to quit smoking based on your medical history. This may include nicotine replacement therapy and other quit smoking medications.

Remember it may take several attempts before you quit for good. If you slip up and start smoking again, don’t give up - keep trying to quit. Next time you will know what methods and strategies worked and didn’t.

Smoking and pregnancy

Smoking during pregnancy is known to effect babies even before they are born. There is no safe amount of smoking. Stopping smoking before or during pregnancy will give a baby the best start to a healthy life.

The placenta and umbilical cord play a vital role during pregnancy. Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen available to the baby through the umbilical cord. This makes the baby’s heart beat more rapidly and increases overall stress on its developing body. Smoking can also reduce the flow of blood through the placenta, which limits the amount of nutrients that feed the baby.

Smoking increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage, delivering a premature or low birth weight baby, or having a stillbirth.

There is also a strong link between Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) and smoking during pregnancy and after birth.

A doctor, midwife or obstetrician, or Quitline (13 7848) (external site) can help support to quit smoking before or during pregnancy.

Learn more about smoking and pregnancy on the Australian Government Department of Health website (external site).

Visit the Raising Children Network for information about smoking and pregnancy explained in pictures (external site).

Smoke-free places

Smoking is banned in public places

Smoking is banned in and around all enclosed public places, including licenced venues and many outdoor areas. This includes shopping centres, office buildings, sporting and recreation centres and community centres. Read more about smoking in public places. 

Smoke-free workplaces

Smoking in the workplace is covered under the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 (external site)and the Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulations 2022 (external site). These Regulations prohibit employers, employees and self-employed persons from smoking in enclosed workplaces.

For further information see the WorkSafe guidance on smoking in the workplace (external site).

WA health system smoke-free policy

All WA Health premises, including hospitals and health services, are smoke-free.

The WA Department of Health’s smoke-free policy sets the minimum standards for all WA Health system premises to achieve a smoke-free environment and aims to prevent exposure to second-hand smoke.

Smoking and tobacco laws in WA

WA legislation covers the sale and supply of cigarettes, tobacco promotion and advertising, and smoke-free areas. Smoke-free laws aim to reduce community exposure to second-hand smoke.

In WA, smoking restrictions are regulated by The Tobacco Products Control Act 2006 (external site) and the Tobacco Products Control Regulations 2006 (external site).

Learn more:

Last reviewed: 25-07-2024
Acknowledgements

Chronic Disease Prevention Directorate

This publication is provided for education and information purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not imply endorsement and is not intended to replace advice from your healthcare professional. Readers should note that over time currency and completeness of the information may change. All users should seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional for a diagnosis and answers to their medical questions.

Quitline
Department of Health