Just The Facts
Smokers and non-smokers alike often do not fully appreciate the health risks of tobacco use, particularly cigarette smoking. The latest epidemiologic studies indicate that death rates for smokers are two to three times higher than for non-smokers at all ages. This means that half of all smokers will eventually die as a result of their smoking. If current smoking trends persist, about 500 million people currently alive, nearly 9% of the world’s population, will eventually die as a result of tobacco.
People who die from tobacco use do not die only in old age. About half of all smokers who are killed by tobacco die in middle age. On average, these smokers who die in middle age lose about 20-25 years of life expectancy.
About half of all tobacco-related deaths occur at ages 35-69 years, making tobacco the most prevalent cause of premature death in developed countries.
Smokers in their thirties and forties have five times as many heart attacks as non-smokers. Heart attacks are the main way in which smoking kills young tobacco users. In industrialized countries, tobacco is responsible for 75-80% of all heart attack deaths in young smokers under the age of 50.
Lower tar cigarettes do not substantially reduce the risk of heart attack in smokers.
In the 1990s, smoking is estimated to be the cause of one in five male deaths from cardiovascular diseases in developed countries (and about 6% of female CVD deaths).
Smoking causes about 30% of all cancer deaths in developed countries (40-45% of male cancer deaths, and 10-15% of female cancer deaths). On average, about 90-95% of male lung cancer deaths in developed countries, and 70-75% of female lung cancer deaths, are due to smoking.
By the end of the 20th century, cigarette smoking will have killed about 62 million people in developed countries: 52 million men, 10 million women.
Passive smoke
Passive smoking is a cause of additional episodes and increased severity of symptoms in asthmatic children. Asthmatic children are up to 2.5 times more likely to have their condition worsened by passive smoking. In the United States alone it is estimated that 200,000 to one million asthmatic children have their condition worsened by passive smoking.
The risk of lower respiratory tract diseases (such as croup, bronchitis, and pneumonia) is estimated to be about 50-60% higher in children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) during the first 1-2 years of life, compared with unexposed children. About 10-15% of lower respiratory tract disease in young children under 18 months of age is attributable to passive smoking.
In children, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke is causally associated with increased prevalence of fluid in the middle ear, symptoms of upper respiratory tract irritation, and a small but significant reduction in lung function.
Environmental tobacco smoke is a cause of lung cancer in lifelong non-smokers exposed to ETS. Epidemiological studies carried out in several countries suggest that the lung cancer risk is about 20-30% higher than for people who have never smoked and haven’t been exposed to ETS.
No matter what the tobacco industry says, or those funded by the tobacco industry, second-hand smoke is dangerous – even deadly – to our health. The world’s most reputable scientists, medical organizations and government health agencies all agree on this issue. They state bluntly that second-hand smoke – also known as “environmental tobacco smoke” (ETS) or “passive smoking” – causes a whole slate of serious health problems. For adults, the dangers include heart disease, lung cancer, nasal sinus cancer, and respiratory ailments. For infants and children, harmful health effects include sudden infant death syndrome, lower birth weight, various respiratory illnesses including bronchitis and pneumonia, and middle ear disease.
And the scientific evidence continues to mount. Newer studies are showing links between second-hand smoke and cervical and breast cancer, stroke, and miscarriages in adults. Children exposed to second-hand smoke are at higher risk for asthma, decreased lung function, cystic fibrosis, and cognitive and behavioral problems.
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