In the past two decades, approximately 20 million Americans have died as a result of the negative health effects stemming from cigarette use. If the present rate of use doesn't subside, fatalities resulting from smoking could increase significantly, according to a new report from the U.S. Surgeon General.
An estimated 5.6 million children could die prematurely if the prevalence of smoking stays where it is, the report revealed. An estimated 500,000 Americans die every year as a result of nicotine and tobacco use, which translates to approximately $289 billion annually in economic and medical care losses.
Boris Lushniak, MD and acting surgeon general, noted that while fewer people are smoking today than they did in the 1960s and 1970s, the adverse health effects are just as high – if not more so.
"Smokers today have a greater risk of developing lung cancer than they did when the first Surgeon General's report was released in 1964," said Lushniak. "How cigarettes are made and the chemicals they contain have changed over the years, and some of those changes may be a factor in higher lung cancer risks."
He added that cigarettes are deadlier than other forms of smoking, such as pipe use, chewing tobacco or cigars.
Kathleen Sebelius, HHS secretary, indicated that she's hopeful everyone in the country will make a renewed commitment to finally making smoking history, which will require a group effort.
"This is not something the federal government can do alone," said Sebelius. "We need to partner with the business community, local elected officials, schools and universities, the medical community, the faith community, and committed citizens in communities across the country to make the next generation tobacco free."
Many businesses today offer employee benefit programs to their workers, which provide incentives for them to kick the habit. The federal government aims to cut the present smoking rate of just under 20 percent to 10 percent within the next decade.
