Most people know that smoking is bad for your health, but what about the lesser known effects of cigarette manufacturing, consumption and disposal? In this program students hear from teenage farm workers who describe being exposed to harmful pesticides and nicotine poisoning. It details how around 600 chemical additives are added to tobacco and that the purpose of many of these chemicals is to make the experience of smoking more addictive. A leading scientist describes the hazards of secondhand smoke to nonsmokers and how they, too, are put at risk for cancer and heart disease. Students also learn how cigarette smoke can leave a toxic residue called thirdhand smoke that coats furniture, carpets, drapery and clothing and poses a lingering health risk long after smoking has stopped. Finally they see how cigarette butts make up a large part of the world’s litter and that the poisonous chemicals remaining in this litter threaten wildlife and our own health.

Includes Resource Guide.