Crisis in India: Smoking Expected to Kill 1 Million Indian People Annually by 2010

Smoking kills 900,000 people every year in India, and unless corrective action is taken soon that number will increase to 1 million smoking-related deaths annually by 2010 and beyond, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and conducted by scientists from India, Canada and the UK.

Researchers concluded that smoking may soon account for 20 percent (1 in 5) of all male deaths and 5 percent (1 in 20) of all female deaths among Indians between the ages of 30 and 69.

According to the World Health Organization, smoking-related deaths are increasing worldwide, with the majority of those deaths occurring in developing nations where tobacco companies have launched aggressive marketing campaigns. With smoking rates declining in the United States and many other developed nations, due to consumer education and regulation, tobacco companies are targeting developing countries to help make up for fewer sales and sagging profits.

Learn more about the health risks of smoking and what is being done to prevent the rise of smoking-related deaths in India and other developing countries around the world.
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