"Last year, a former Russian spy was allegedly murdered using Polonium -210. This radioactive chemical is also found in cigarette smoke, a fact at least one tobacco company was aware of in 1964."

This quote came from TheTruth.com, one Web site that gives interesting facts about cigarettes and smoking in order to help people quit.

Smoking contributes to one-fifth of all the deaths in the United States each year, said the Fort Loudoun Medical Center Web site. It causes lung disease, heart disease, asthma, breast cancer and stomach cancer.

Quitting reduces these risks. According to the Fort Loudoun Medical Center Web site, "Twenty minutes after you quit, your heart rate begins to drop toward the normal range." The Web site also said, "Five to 15 years after you quit, your risk for coronary heart disease is the same as a nonsmoker's."

If you are trying to quit, there are lots of Web sites and programs to help. Fort Sanders Parkwest Medical Center offers Freedom from Smoking classes annually. These are eight-week cessation programs developed by the American Lung Association, according to the Fort Sanders Parkwest Medical Center Web site. They require a $50 deposit, which is returned if you complete all the meetings. The return of the deposit is not contingent on if you quit smoking.

The Fort Loudoun Medical Center Web site offers tips to quit smoking such as setting a specific date to quit, having friends and family around you to keep you accountable and gradually cutting down on the amount of cigarettes you smoke each day. It also suggests participating in the Great American Smokeout, which encourages people to quit smoking even for just one day.