WHO: Smoking kills 7 million, destroys environment

ASTANA. KAZINFORM According to World Health Organization, tobacco kills more than seven million people each year, TASS reports citing Agence France-Presse.

"Tobacco threatens us all," said WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan. "Tobacco exacerbates poverty, reduces economic productivity, contributes to poor household food choices, and pollutes indoor air."

The report released ahead of World No Tobacco Day on Wednesday, the Organization warns that the annual death toll skyrocketed from four million at the turn of the century and that today tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death in the world. It is also predicted that the death toll will continue to rise and WHO is expecting more than one billion deaths this century.

"By 2030, more than 80 percent of the deaths will occur in developing countries, which have been increasingly targeted by tobacco companies seeking new markets to circumvent tightening regulation in developed nations." the report reads.

It is also noted that tobacco use brings an economic cost. Thus, according to WHO estimates, it drains more than $1.4 trillion or almost two percent of the global GDP from households and governments each year in healthcare expenditures and lost productivity.
WHO also warned that tobacco farming is now the main cause of deforestation in several countries of the world as growing tobacco requires large quantities of fertilizers and pesticides.

This has happened mostly due to the amount of wood required for curing tobacco, WHO estimates that for every 300 cigarettes to be produced one tree is needed.

The Organization is highlighting the pollution caused by production, transport, and distribution of tobacco products. It is reported that tobacco industry emits nearly 4 million tons of CO2 equivalent annually - the same amount as around 3 million transatlantic flights.

The industry's waste contains over 7,000 toxic chemicals, including human carcinogens that poison the environment, WHO said.

Furthermore, because cigarette butts are non-biodegradable, one way or another they end up in the ocean damaging ecosystems.

The Organization has urged governments to take strong measures to curb tobacco use.