If you smoke and are employed by or run a business that works with hazardous materials, there are some important facts you need to know.
Smoking causes 1 in every 5 deaths in the United States every year. I & O Medical Centers wants its patients and clients to be aware of the risks and dangers.
The cost of smoking is immense. Monetarily, it costs the average smoker out of pocket between $1.5-4k each year. Think about that for a minute. If you were to quit, in 5 years you would save between $7000-$20,000. That’s enough money for a vacation in Hawaii at a five-star resort, a new car, or college for one of your children.
The costs associated with employee smoking are particularly important to employers — increased medical care costs, workplace absenteeism, and a reduced capacity for productivity being in the top three.
Studies show that employees who smoke have substantially greater injuries and accidents than do non-smokers.
Smokers have decreased productivity due to several factors. One would be the never ending need for a “smoke break”. Another would be the need for additional sick days. Smokers have a decreased immune system that causes increased recovery time from illness and disease.
One cigarette contains over 4800 chemicals, 69 of which are known carcinogens (cancer causing).
Smoking while working with hazardous materials dramatically increases your risk of death by cancer. There is a shocking multiplier effect when smokers are exposed to hazardous materials. A non-smoker exposed to asbestos has an increased cancer risk of 1.8x. A smoker exposed to asbestos has an increased cancer risk of more than 80x.
Quitting smoking now greatly reduces the risk of death of lung disease and cancer.
As soon as you stop smoking, your body begins to heal and undo some of the damage you have caused.
Education on how to quit is an important part of getting employees to stop smoking.
I & O Medical Centers recommends that all workplaces become tobacco-free and that employers make tobacco cessation programs available to all workers. These recommendations are aimed at protecting workers from the occupational and health hazards of tobacco.
We can help you stop smoking. Please come in and talk to one of our experienced and trusted doctors. I & O Medical Centers is here to help when you’re ready to quit.