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11 July, (foodconsumer.org) - Tobacco will be responsible for over a billion deaths this century, public health officials warned Monday. Therefore restricting its use could also help prevent the most common cause of cancer, the American Cancer Society said.

"If we don't intervene now, we will see the largest loss of life in all of history," said John Seffrin, chief executive officer for the American Cancer Society, at a news conference Monday during the 2006 World Cancer Congress. Dr Seffrin also released "The Cancer Atlas" and the second edition of "The Tobacco Atlas” on the occasion.

Both these documents are designed to inform laymen about the hazards of using tobacco and its role in causing cancer. "These atlases show us what will happen -- what's at stake," Seffrin said. "As we take necessary steps towards reducing and possibly ending mortality from tobacco use and cancer, the need for comprehensive statistics that address these issues is apparent."

The atlases were prepared by ACS in collaboration with U.S. federal health agencies, the World Health Organization and the non-profit International Union Against Cancer. They will be published in English, Spanish, French and Chinese.

The Cancer Atlas is in its first edition and hopes to help fight the scrounge by informing lawmakers, doctors as well as laypersons about the burden of the disease across the world. Some of the key points highlighted in the atlas include:

* Cancer rates are surging worldwide, but the worrying trend is that the burden is shifting from developed to developing nations.

* Risk of getting cancer is higher in the developed nations, but cancers in developing nations tend to be more fatal.

* As per available data in 2002 around 11 million new cancer cases were diagnosed, resulting in 7 million deaths worldwide.

* If urgent action is taken, then can be saved each year by 2020 and 6.5 million by 2040.

"The first-ever Cancer Atlas contains the most current data and strategies available in addressing cancer prevention and control activities," commented Eddie Reed, M.D., director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "We encourage public health professionals, policy makers, and individuals to include this most important resource in their efforts to decrease the burden of cancer worldwide."

Lung cancer remains the major cause of cancer diagnosis and death worldwide. Dr Seffrin said that the disease was unlikely to be dislodged from the top since there are an estimated 300 million smokers in China, where lung cancer will kill a million people each year.

The Tobacco Atlas, in its second edition, gives some equally startling facts. An estimated 1.25 billion people smoke cigarettes and more than half of them will die from related diseases. The atlas says that tobacco is the only consumer product that will kill more than half of its regular "customers."

* It killed 100 million people last century and if the current usage statistics continue to prevail, 1 billion people will die from tobacco-related illnesses this century.

* If adult cigarette consumption is reduced by just 50 percent worldwide, we could avert more than 300 million needless deaths within the next 50 years.

"Even if smoking rates decline worldwide, there will be a constant or even slightly increasing number of smokers due to population increases," said Michael Eriksen, director of the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University.

Judith Mackay, MBChB, senior policy advisor to the WHO, said that since the publication of the first edition of the atlas, there has been a spurt in new research and new initiatives especially in developing countries, "Yet, despite this progress and mostly due to population increases, the number of smokers and the number of tobacco-related deaths is rising."

Dr Seffrin said the main aim of the atlases was to help policymakers make correct decisions, "The atlases will be an indispensable resource for health professionals and policy makers who are concerned about the state of cancer and tobacco use around the world."

The World Health Organization squarely blamed the tobacco industry for the continued abuse of its products. This year's World No Tobacco Day, on May 31, had the theme of "Tobacco: deadly in any form or disguise."

The WHO says that tobacco usage is responsible for five million deaths each year. It is the cause of 90 per cent of lung cancer cases and is linked to many other types of cancer, such as cervical or kidney cancer, as well as emphysema, bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory diseases.

If the current usage trends continue, it is estimated that by 2020 7 out of every 10 tobacco-related deaths will be in the developing world.

Some deadly facts about tobacco

- It is the second major cause of death in the world and is responsible for the death of one in ten adults worldwide.
- Half the people that smoke today (about 650 million people) will eventually be killed by tobacco.
- Tobacco is the fourth most common risk factor for disease worldwide.
- Tobacco leads to malnutrition, increased health care costs and premature death.
- Tar in tobacco in whatever quantity is linked to cancer.

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