Over one trillion cigarettes have been smoked globally between January 1 and this moment, according to Worldometer.
According to the reference website, since the dawn of this day alone, over six billion cigarettes have been smoked by people around the world.
Worldometer, formerly Worldometers, is a reference website that provides counters and real-time statistics for diverse topics. It is owned and operated by a Chinese data company Dadax which generates revenue through online advertising.
As of the time of filing this report, no less than 6,732,441,834 cigarettes have been smoked since the dawn of today while 1,902,269,539,284 cigarettes have been smoked since the beginning of this year till date, according to the statistics which changes virtually every second.
The data also shows that over 1,717,911 people have died from smoking cigarettes globally this year alone, according to the statistics which changes virtually every second.
According to the World Health Organisation, tobacco is one of the leading causes of death, illness, and impoverishment and cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide.
“The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year around the world. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke,” it said.
The world health body noted that over 80 percent of the 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest.
“Tobacco use contributes to poverty by diverting household spending from basic needs such as food and shelter to tobacco.
“The economic costs of tobacco use are substantial and include significant health care costs for treating the diseases caused by tobacco use as well as the lost human capital that results from tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality.
“In some countries, children from poor households are employed in tobacco farming to boost family income. Tobacco growing farmers are also exposed to a number of health risks, including the green tobacco sickness,” WHO said.
A Consultant Family Physician and Head of Department, Family Medicine Department at the University of Ilorin, Dr. Ibrahim Kuranga-Suleiman said smoking raises the risk of cancer among other things.
“Smokers are at risk of developing lung cancer and have higher rates of pancreatic cancer. Smoking may damage blood vessels and disrupt blood flow.
“Smoking tobacco is dangerous to your health. There are no safe substances in any tobacco products, and it can lead to a variety of ongoing complications in the body, as well as long-term effects on your body systems.
“When you inhale smoke, you’re gradually causing damage to your lungs. Over time, this damage leads to a variety of problems. Along with increased infections, people who smoke are at higher risk of lung problems,” he said.
The physician said smoking damages the cardiovascular system.
“Smoking also raises blood pressure, weakens blood vessel walls, and raises the risk for stroke and heart disease,” he said.
Source: Punch Newspaper
