Smoking

Death from smoking remains the single most preventable cause of death in the United States today. A direct relationship exists between nearly all lung cancers and exposure to tobacco smoke, yet in 2005 an estimated 39 million Americans smoked. Smoking is currently responsible for a third of all cancer deaths in many Western countries. Health experts estimate that 1 of every 2 smokers will be killed by tobacco, a total of 3 million people worldwide dying annually of lung cancer. Lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of death in U.S. women, with more than 160,000 deaths for both sexes reported in 2004. Worldwide, the World Health Organization reports that China has the highest consumption of tobacco-related products and, consequently, the highest number of tobacco-related deaths.

Social epidemiological studies continue to claim that smoking is higher among blacks, blue-collar workers, the less educated, and teens. Although about 43 percent of smokers attempt to quit, the decline is slower for women than men, while it has increased at an alarming rate among teens and in developing countries. By education level, smoking decreases as education rises, and it is certainly higher among the poorest members in society.

In 1964, the U.S. Surgeon General issued the first major U.S. report on smoking and health, concluding that cigarette smoking is a cause of lung cancer in men and a suspected cause in women. Until then, early statements on the dangers of cigarettes and nonsmoking tobacco products were far from definitive, as legislators and public health officials were cautious in their assertions of the scientific proof on the ill effects of smoking. In reality, many legislators were loathe to lose the tobacco manufacturers' campaign contributions, and those with tobacco growers as a constituency feared the loss of jobs in the tobacco industry. After its report, though, the U.S. Surgeon General's Office acted diligently to implement public policy and establish statewide education and prevention programs. Continued scientific research further proved the case against smoking, justifying subsequent legislation, as attitudes and cultural norms changed.