What Tobacco is and what the hell with it.

Tobacco products are products made entirely or partly of leaf tobacco as raw material, which are intended to be smoked, sucked, chewed or snuffed. All contain the highly addictive psychoactive ingredient, nicotine.

Tobacco use is one of the main risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including cancer, lung diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. Despite this, it is common throughout the world. A number of countries have legislation restricting tobacco advertising, and regulating who can buy and use tobacco products, and where people can smoke.

10 facts about tobacco and second-hand smoke

Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the world. It causes 1 in 10 deaths among adults worldwide. In 2005, tobacco caused 5.4 million deaths, or an average of one death every 6 seconds. At the current rate, the death toll is projected to reach more than 8 million annually by 2030 and a total of up to one billion deaths in the 21st century.

European Community

Second-hand tobacco smoke is dangerous to health. It causes cancer, heart disease and many other serious diseases in adults. Almost half of the world's children breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke, which worsens their asthma conditions and causes dangerous diseases. At least 200 000 workers die every year due to exposure to second-hand smoke at work.

This fact file explains why ensuring a smoke-free environment is the only way to protect ourselves from the lethal ill effects of tobacco smoke.

Fact 1

Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the world. It causes 1 in 10 deaths among adults worldwide. In 2005, tobacco caused 5.4 million deaths, or an average of one death every 6 seconds. The death toll is projected to reach more than 8 million by 2030 if current trends continue.

Fact 2

Tobacco kills up to half of its regular users. On average 29% of people around the world are smoking tobacco. Smoking is more common among men - 47.5% of all men smoke compared to 10.3% of women.

Fact 3

More than 80% of the world's more than one billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries. Unless urgent action is taken, by 2030, more than 80% of tobacco related deaths will occur in the developing world.

10 facts on the tobacco epidemic and its control

7 February 2008

WHO/Jim Holmes

Tobacco kills up to half of those who use it. Yet tobacco use is common throughout the world due to low prices, aggressive and widespread marketing, lack of awareness about its dangers, and inconsistent public policies against its use.

Most of tobacco’s damage to health does not become evident until years or even decades after the onset of use. So, while tobacco use is rising globally, the epidemic of tobacco-related disease and death has yet to reach its peak.

This fact file shows how the devastating tobacco epidemic is growing, describes the state of tobacco control worldwide, and explains how this preventable epidemic can be halted with a set of six effective tobacco control policies.

Fact 1

The tobacco epidemic kills 5.4 million people a year from lung cancer, heart disease and other illnesses. Unchecked, that number will increase to more than eight million a year by 2030. Tobacco use is a risk factor for six of the eight leading causes of deaths in the world.

Fact 2

Tragically, the epidemic is shifting towards the developing world, where 80% of tobacco-related deaths will occur within a few decades. The shift is caused by a global tobacco industry marketing strategy that targets young people and adults in developing countries. In addition, because most women currently do not use tobacco, the tobacco industry aggressively reaches out to them to tap into this potential new market.

Fact 3

The tobacco epidemic is man-made and entirely preventable. Yet, only 5% of the world's population lives in a country that fully protects its population with any one of the key policy interventions that have significantly reduced tobacco use in the countries that have implemented them.

Fact 4

The six most effective policies that can curb the tobacco epidemic are outlined in WHO's MPOWER strategy:

Monitoring tobacco use and prevention
Protecting people from tobacco smoke
Offering help to quit tobacco use
Warning people about the dangers of tobacco
Enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
Raising taxes on tobacco

In summary :

Tobacco key facts

Tobacco use is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced.

• There are more than one billion smokers in the world.
• Globally, use of tobacco products is increasing, although it is decreasing in high-income countries.
• Almost half of the world's children breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke.
• The epidemic is shifting to the developing world.
• More than 80% of the world's smokers live in low- and middle-income countries.
• Tobacco use kills 5.4 million people a year - an average of one person every six seconds - and accounts for one in 10 adult deaths worldwide.
• Tobacco kills up to half of all users.
• It is a risk factor for six of the eight leading causes of deaths in the world.

Because there is a lag of several years between when people start using tobacco and when their health suffers, the epidemic of disease and death has just begun.

• 100 million deaths were caused by tobacco in the 20th century. If current trends continue, there will be up to one billion deaths in the 21st century.

Unchecked, tobacco-related deaths will increase to more than eight million a year by 2030, and 80% of those deaths will occur in the developing world.

Visit : www.who.com

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