세계폐재단(WLF)과 미국암학회(ACS)이 발간한 [담배지표도( The Tobacco Atlas)]에 따르면 2009년 550만 명이 흡연에 따른 질환으로 사망할 것으로 예상되며, 2010년에는 600만 명이 담배로 인하여 사망할 것으로 예상된다는 뉴스입니다.

현재와 같은 추세가 지속될 경우 2020년 흡연으로 인한 사망자는 700만 명, 2030년 800만 명에 이를 것으로 전망되며, 21세기 흡연으로 인한 사망자는 모두 10억 명에 이를 것이라고 합니다.

광우병, 돼지독감 보다 더 무서운 것이 흡연이라는 사실을 새삼 깨닫게 해주는 소식입니다. 

현재 전 세계 사망자 10명 가운데 1명은  흡연에 따른 암, 심장질환, 폐기종 등으로 소중한 목숨을 잃고 있습니다. 세계 년간 사망자의 10%를 죽이는 흡연에 대한 적극적이고 공격적인 캠페인(담배값 인상폭 확대, 간접 흡연 피해 보상법 등)이 필요하다는 생각입니다.

담배는 생명과 건강만 잃게 만드는 것이 아니라 돈도 잃게 만드는데, 흡연으로 인한 의학적 비용과 생산성 저하 및 환경파괴에 따른 사회적 비용이 매년 약 5천억 달러 정도라고 합니다. (물론 담배 회사들은 돈을 벌겠지만요…)

현재 우리가 사는 세계는 남성은 가난한 나라 국민들이 흡연을 많이 하고, 여성은 선진국 국민들이 흡연을 많이 하는 독특한 문화가 형성되어 있습니다. 전 세계 흡연 남성 10억 명 가운데 35%는 선진국 국민이고, 남성 흡연자의 50%는 개발도상국 국민이며, 흡연 여성 2억 5천만 명 중 22%가 선진국 국민, 9%가 개발도상국 국민으로 조사되었습니다.

흡연남성은 비흡연남성보다 폐암으로 사망할 확률이 23배 높으며, 흡연 여성은 비흡연 여성보다 폐암으로 사망할 확률이 13배 더 높게 나왔습니다. 그리고 흡연자는 비흡연자보다 수명이 15년 단축되는 것으로 조사되었습니다.

또한 간접흡연에 노출돼 사망하는 노동자가 매년 20만 명씩이나 되는 것으로 드러났습니다.

“흡연은 살인이다!”는 사실을 다시 한 번 확인할 수 있습니다.

 

Two Million Expected To Die Each Year From Tobacco-induced Cancers By 2015

ScienceDaily (Aug. 26, 2009) — The Tobacco Atlas, Third Edition, published by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation, estimates that tobacco use kills some six million people each year- more than a third of whom will die from cancer- and drains US$500 billion annually from global economies. Unveiled at the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit, the Atlas graphically displays how tobacco is devastating both global health and economies, especially in middle- and low-resource countries, and tracks progress and outcomes in tobacco control.

The Most Preventable Cause of Cancer

According to The Tobacco Atlas, 2.1 million cancer deaths per year will be attributable to tobacco by 2015. By 2030, 83% of these deaths will occur in low and middle-income countries. Unique among cancer-causing agents, the danger of tobacco is completely preventable through proven public policies. Major measures include tobacco taxes, advertising bans, smokefree public places, and effective health warnings on packages. These cost-effective policies are among those included in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), a global treaty endorsed by more than 160 countries, and recommended by the World Health Organization MPOWER policy package.

A $500 Billion Hole in Global Economy

The global economy lost a staggering US$500 billion due to tobacco use. These economic costs come as a result of lost productivity, misused resources, missed opportunities for taxation, and premature death.

• Because 25 percent of smokers die and many more become ill during their most productive years, income loss devastates families and communities.
  
• Cigarettes are the world’s most widely smuggled legal consumer product. In 2006, about 600 billion smuggled cigarettes made it to the market, representing an enormous missed tax opportunity for governments, as well as a missed opportunity to prevent many people from starting to smoke and encourage others to quit.
  
• Tobacco replaces potential food production on almost 4 million hectares of the world’s agricultural land, equal to all of the world’s orange groves or banana plantations.
  
• In developing countries, smokers spend disproportionate sums of money relative to their incomes that could otherwise be spent on food, healthcare, and other necessities.

Burden Shift to the World’s Poorest Countries

The Tobacco Atlas crystallizes an undeniable trend: the tobacco industry has shifted its marketing and sales efforts to countries that have less effective public health policies and fewer tobacco control resources in place:

• In 2010, 72 percent of those who die from tobacco related illnesses will be in low- and middle-income countries.
  
• Since 1960 global tobacco production has increased three-fold in low- and middle-resource countries while halving in high-resource countries.
  
• In Bangladesh alone, if the average household bought food with the money normally spent on tobacco, more than 10 million people would no longer suffer from malnutrition and 350 children under age five could be saved each day.

Quotes from Leadership

“The Tobacco Atlas is crucial to helping advocates in every nation get the knowledge they need to combat the most preventable global health epidemic,” said John R. Seffrin, Ph.D. chief executive officer, American Cancer Society. “It is especially appropriate to present the Atlas here in Ireland, where so much progress has already been made against the scourge of tobacco. By utilizing this information to develop public health strategies to reduce tobacco use and help people stay well, we will save millions of lives.”

“The Tobacco Atlas presents compelling evidence that the health burden is shifting from richer countries to their lower-resource counterparts,” said Peter Baldini, chief executive officer, World Lung Foundation.” This evidence clearly articulates the breathtaking scope and dimensions of the problem. It calls out to be used actively in strengthening the case for policy change.”

“I’m not telling people how to live their lives,” said Lance Armstrong, “but I am certainly trying to educate them on healthy lifestyles and preventing this train wreck that potentially awaits them.”

About the Authors

The four authors of the publication bring together an impressive array of credentials. Hana Ross, Ph.D. is an economist and strategic director of international tobacco control research at the American Cancer Society. She is also deputy director of the International Tobacco Network (ITEN), a network promoting collaboration among economists interested in tobacco control issues. Judith Mackay, M.D., is a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of Edinburgh and London, and a special advisor at World Lung Foundation. She is also a senior policy advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) and a director of the Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control. Omar Shafey, Ph.D., M.P.H., is a medical anthropologist and epidemiologist, and an adjunct professor of Global Health at Emory University. Among many publications and studies, he was a coauthor of the second edition of The Tobacco Atlas. Michael Eriksen, Sc.D., is a professor and founding director of the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University. He has been a Senior Advisor to the World Health Organisation (WHO), and was director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Health.

About the Revised Edition

The new edition was previewed in March at the World Conference on Tobacco OR Health, and is now being released with the most up-to-date information on tobacco and tobacco control available. Data contained within the Atlas is gathered from multiple sources and validated to ensure it presents a holistic and accurate picture of tobacco and tobacco control across the globe. The updated version is also being released online at TobaccoAtlas.org, where policy makers, public health practitioners, advocates and journalists interact with the data and create customizable charts, graphs and maps.