HOW MANY DEATHS FROM LUNG CANCER, BRONCHITIS AND EMPHYSEMA ARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO CIGARETTES?
In the United States, lung cancer accounts for over 100,000 deaths per year, over 90 percent of these directly due to cigarette smoking. Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (bronchitis and emphysema) diseases almost exclusively due to cigarettes cause another 50 to 60 thousand deaths each year. Over 300,000 smokingrelated deaths (cancer, COPD, and heart disease) occur each year. This makes cigarette smoking the number one known cause of death in the United States. This statistic makes an interesting contrast to the number of Americans who died: • During Battle in World War II (19411945) 292,131 • During Battle in VietNam (19641972) 45,926 • In Motor Vehicle Accidents (1978) 53,600 The mortality ratio for all smokers of cigarettes is about 1.7 when compared to nonsmokers. This means life expectancy is shortened by cigarette smoking a 30yearold, 2packperday smoker has a life expectancy 8.1 years less than his nonsmoking counterpart. There is a doseresponse relationship betwee
