30 May,2012 05:07 PM IST | | Agencies
Tobacco kills nearly six million people annually. Of these, more than 5 million are users and ex-users
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