Friday, February 8, 2008

Study warns of billion smoking deaths by 2100

Smoking could kill 1 billion people this century because countries aren't doing enough to combat the deadly epidemic, according to a World Health Organization report out Thursday.
Mayor Bloomberg's private foundation funded the $2 million study, which was billed as the most comprehensive country-by-country look at the issue ever.
"As a global community, we can't allow this to happen," said WHO director Margaret Chan. "The tobacco epidemic is entirely man-made."
The mayor argued the U.S. government should get a grade of C or D for its efforts to tackle the problem. New York City, which instituted a smoking ban in bars during his tenure, deserves an A or B, he said.
"We all can do more," Bloomberg said.
In the past century, smoking killed 100 million people. By 2030, scientists predict, 8 million people a year will die from the epidemic if it goes unchecked, the study found.
Research also showed India and China account for 40% of the world's smokers.
The organization unveiled six steps countries should take to reduce smoking rates, with higher taxes on cigarettes topping the list.
Bloomberg also favors using gruesome graphics like a skull and crossbones on cigarette cartons to deter smokers, a technique used in Canada and Brazil

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