Tobacco: The killer facts

30 May,2012 05:07 PM IST |   |  Agencies

May 31 is observed as World No Tobacco Day. On the occasion, we list some startling facts and figures gathered from WHO, which reiterate why it's never too late to kick the habit


Tobacco kills nearly six million people annually. Of these, more than 5 million are users and ex-users

Life's going up in smoke...

Tobacco use is the second biggest cause of death globally, after hypertension. Currently, it kills one in 10 adults worldwide

Approximately one person dies every six seconds due to tobacco

Tobacco caused 100 million deaths in the 20th century. If the current trend continues, it will end up causing one billion deaths in the 21st century

In India, around 10 lakh deaths happen due to tobacco every year

Seven per cent of all deaths of people aged 30 and over in India are attributed to tobacco

There are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, of which over 50 can cause cancer

Second-hand smoke is responsible for more than 6,00,000 premature deaths per year

In 2004, children accounted for 31% of the deaths attributable to second-hand smoke.

In adults, second-hand smoke causes serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including coronary heart disease and lung cancer. In infants, it can lead to sudden death

The latest findings reveal that tobacco is actually the most important cause of premature heart attacks

Globally, about 17.3 million people die of cardiovascular diseases and 10 per cent of the deaths are due to tobacco use

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