Health: World No Tobacco Day

Today is World No Tobacco Day - this year's aim is to focus on persuading more countries to sign up to a global treaty by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ensure better public health protection from smoking.

Here are a few facts about smoking: 

• In Indonesia alone there are 21 million child smokers;
• Smoking kills more than alcohol, AIDS, illegal drugs, murders/suicides & car accidents combined;
• based on current trends tobacco will kill 1 billion people in the 21st century;
• global cigarette sales 5,000 billion in 1990, 5900 billion in 2009;
• 100,000 people in the UK die from smoking each year;
• The top five countries with the world's largest cigarette consumption in 2009: 

1. China
2. Russia
3. US
4. Indonesia
5. Japan

• Tobacco is the second most likely cause of death globally.  It kills one in ten adults worldwide;
• Tobacco kills up to half of its users;
• an average of one person dies every six seconds from smoking.