Cigarettes carry serious health risks, which are more prevalent than in other tobacco products. Nicotine, the primary psychoactive chemical in tobacco and therefore cigarettes, is addictive.[5] About half of cigarette smokers die of tobacco-related disease[6] and lose on average 14 years of life.[5] Cigarette use by pregnant women has also been shown to cause birth defects, including low birth weight, fetal abnormalities, and premature birth.[7] Second-hand smoke from cigarettes has been shown to be injurious to bystanders,[8][9][10][11] which has led to legislation that has prohibited smoking in many workplaces and public areas. Cigarettes produce an aerosol containing over 4,000 chemical compounds, including nicotine, carbon monoxide, acrolein, and oxidant substances.[12] Over 50 of these are carcinogens.[13] Cigarettes are a frequent source of fires leading to loss of lives in private homes, which prompted the European Union and the United States to ban cigarettes that are not fire standard compliant by 2011