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Cigarette Smoking-Related Mortality

Cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United States. Each year, more than 400,000 Americans die from cigarette smoking. In fact, one in every five deaths in the United States is smoking related. Every year, smoking kills more than 276,000 men and 142,000 women.1

* Between 1960 and 1990, deaths from lung cancer among women have increased by more than 400%--exceeding breast cancer deaths in the mid-1980s.2 The American Cancer Society estimated that in 1994, 64,300 women died from lung cancer and 44,300 died from breast cancer.3

* Men who smoke increase their risk of death from lung cancer by more than 22 times and from bronchitis and emphysema by nearly 10 times. Women who smoke increase their risk of dying from lung cancer by nearly 12 times and the risk of dying from bronchitis and emphysema by more than 10 times. Smoking triples the risk of dying from heart disease among middle-aged men and women.1

* Every year in the United States, premature deaths from smoking rob more than five million years from the potential lifespan of those who have died.1

* Annually, exposure to secondhand smoke (or environmental tobacco smoke) causes an estimated 3,000 deaths from lung cancer among American adults.4 Scientific studies also link secondhand smoke with heart disease.

Disease Men Women Overall

Cancers

Lung 81,179 35,741 116,920

Lung from ETS 1,055 1,945 3,000

Other 21,659 9,743 31,402

Total 103,893 47,429 151,322

Cardiovascular Diseases

Hypertension 3,233 2,151 5,450

Heart Disease 88,644 45,591 134,235

Stroke 14,978 8,303 23,281

Other 11,682 5,172 16,854

Total 118,603 61,117 179,820

Respiratory Diseases

Pneumonia 11,292 7,881 19,173

Bronchitis/ Emphysema 9,234 5,541 14,865

Chronic Airway Obstruction 30,385 18,579 48,982

Other 787 668 1,455

Total 51,788 32,689 84,475

Diseases Among Infants 1,006 705 1,711

Burn Deaths 863 499 1,362

All Causes 276,153 142,537 418,690

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking-attributable mortality and years of potential life lost -- United States, 1990. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 1993;42(33):645-8.

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mortality trends for selected smoking-related and breast cancer -- United States, 1950-1990. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 1993;42(44):857, 863-6.

3. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures -- 1996. Atlanta (GA): American Cancer Society, 1996.

4. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Disorders. Washington (DC): U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development. EPA/600/6-90/006F. December 1992.

June 2001

If you have reached The Lung Cancer and Cigarette Smoking Web Page on Compuserve, please be advised of the following change of address. The Lung Cancer and Cigarette Smoking Web Page was established in January 1996 at URL http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/lungcancer Because of problems maintaining the page at this ISP location, the page has been moved to a new location. The new up-dated, expanded and redesigned web page can be found at http://www.smokinglungs.com Please clink on the following link to be transferred to the new and improved web site. http://www.smokinglungs.com

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the United States.

More than 154,000 Americans will die from lung cancer in 2002.

Only 12-15% of patients with lung cancer are being cured with today's treatments.

More than 90% of lung cancers are preventable.

Definition: ``A cigarette is a euphemism for a cleverly crafted product that delivers just the right amount of nicotine to keep its user addicted for life before killing the person.'' World Health Organization director-general Gro Harlem Brundtland

Recent polls indicate that, despite all accumulated knowledge on the subject of diseases caused by tobacco products, a shockingly high percentage of smokers continue to believe that their cigarettes will not cause them harm. This page is dedicated to changing this intolerable ignorance. It is my hope that anyone who visits here and browses through the pages of the Lung Cancer and Cigarette Smoking Web Page will leave with eyes open to the danger of lung cancer and other diseases caused by tobacco.

A recent National Cancer Institute focus group suggests that many ex-smokers believe that they are no longer at risk for lung cancer. This is a dangerous misperception. Unfortunately, some risk of lung cancer persists for many years following smoking cessation. The good news is that the risk diminishes with the passage of time.

The overwhelming majority