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Tobacco deaths estimated to touch 1 billion mark this century.
by : Darya Zarin
Date : Tue, 11 Jul 2006 11:42:01 GMT
A recent prediction about the tobacco death toll revealed that it would touch one billion mark this century, 10 times more than the prevailing numbers of the last century. lt;br / gt;
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More than 1.25 billion people have fallen prey to the smoking habit, according to the statistics released at the International Union Against Cancer conference in Washington, D.C., on Monday, and more than 50 percent of these would face death due to this smoking habit, as reported in the second edition of the Tobacco Atlas. lt;br / gt;
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"In all of world history, this is the largest train wreck not waiting to happen, " said John Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. lt;br / gt;
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It is reported that since 1 out of every 5 person has acquired this habit, the hazardous consequences of smoking are faced by not only those who smoke but also those who are exposed to smoke. lt;br / gt;
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As per the revelations made by the Cancer Atlas that among the 10.9 million new cases of cancer that are reported each year about 1.35 million were lung cancer, 1.15 million were breast cancer, 1 million were colon cancer, 930,000 were stomach cancer, and 679,000 were prostate cancer, thereby indicating that lung cancer tops the list. lt;br / gt;
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Therefore, the reduction in the tobacco use could become the sole factor in bringing down the cancer rates substantially all across the globe. Besides that, emphasis should be placed on healthy diets focusing on reducing intake of saturated fats, alcohol and salty foods and increasing the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. lt;br / gt;
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Dr. Judith Mackay, a World Health Organization senior policy adviser, said "We know with cancer, if we take action now, we can save 2 million lives a year by 2020 and 6.5 million by 2040. " lt;br / gt;
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Also as per the findings of the Cancer Atlas, the developed countries have a greater risk of developing cancer compared to the developing countries of the world. As an example someone who lives in the US has a higher probability, nearly 18 per cent, of developing cancer by age 65, whereas in Oman, it 's a mere six per cent.
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