The document discusses the global tobacco epidemic, noting that tobacco use causes over 6 million preventable deaths annually, with over 80% of these deaths occurring in low and middle income countries. It provides statistics on smoking rates and deaths caused by smoking globally and in Brazil, as well as information about tobacco production, the tobacco industry's profits, and evidence-based solutions for tobacco control. Brazil is highlighted as a leader in implementing policies like graphic health warnings and restrictions on flavorings to reduce tobacco use.

1. Michael Eriksen, ScD
Dean, Institute of Public Health
Georgia State University
March 12, 2013

2. How much is a life worth?

3. Globally, 6 million preventable
deaths annually from tobacco…
• Tobacco accounts for more than 16% of male
and 7% of female deaths globally
• 80% of deaths occur in LMIC
• 100 million deaths in
20th century and one billion
deaths in 21st century
• 15% of male and 6% of female
deaths due to smoking in Brazil

4. Smoking harms the entire body…

5. Cancer from smoking causes more
deaths than all other cancers
combined…

6. If you are concerned about
NCDs, tobacco must be a priority…

7. “Forced smoking” kills people…
• 600,000 deaths annually from secondhand
smoke exposure (mostly women and children)
• Over 50% of the people in the Western Pacific
region are exposed to secondhand smoke
(highest rate in the world)

8. Cigarette smoking is a 20th century
phenomenon…

9. Cigarette consumption varies
greatly by region…
• Consumption shifting from West to East (1990-2009)
• Western Europe dropped 26%
• Middle East and Africa increased 57%

10. Five countries smoke more than half
of the world’s cigarettes…

11. There are over one billion adult
smokers in the world…
• 1 billion adult smokers worldwide (80% are men)
– nearly 20% of all adults
• 80% of male and 50% of female
smokers are in low- and
middle-income countries
• Men’s smoking rates are ten times
as high as women’s in 49 countries
• But there is major progress in many
countries

12. 800 million men smoke
worldwide…
21.6% of male adults in Brazil smoke

13. 200 million women smoke worldwide
now, but what about the future?
13.1% of female adults in Brazil smoke

14. Is youth smoking the next
epidemic?
• Boys’ and girls’ smoking rates
differ by less than 5 percentage
points in almost half of the
world’s countries
• Girls smoke more than boys
in at least 25 countries, and
more girls (13.2%) smoke than
boys (9.2%) in Sao Paulo, 2011

15. China and Brazil are the world’s
largest tobacco growers…
• Between 2000 and
2009, Brazil’s
tobacco leaf
production
increased by 49%.
• More than 170,000
individuals are
involved in growing
tobacco in southern
Brazil.

16. Does corporate social responsibility and
philanthropy negate global harm?
In 2010, PMI donated only $25 million from their
$7.5 billion profits to charitable causes
(less than 1% of net profits)

17. Tobacco is very big business…
• Global cigarette market valued at almost half a
trillion dollars (taxes excluded)
• Comparable to GDP of Poland and Sweden
• CNTC manufactured 2.1 trillion of the world’s 5.9
trillion cigarettes (2008)

18. Tobacco companies profit on
each tobacco-related death…
• $35 billion in annual profits
• 6 million deaths each year
• Nearly $6,000 in profit for every death
caused by tobacco

19. Evidence-based solutions are a must…
Outlined in WHO FCTC, MPOWER
and U.S. Surgeon General’s Reports
• Tax increases
• Clean indoor air laws
• Advertising bans
• Graphic warning labels

20. Brazil is a leader in
global tobacco control…
• Prohibited flavor additives to cigarettes, 2012
• More former smokers than current smokers –
24.5 million smokers; 26 million former
smokers, 2008
• Brazil provided major leadership in
establishing WHO FCTC
• Graphic health warnings on tobacco
product packaging since 2002…the
second country in the world
• Next Steps: Increase strength and
enforcement of federal laws

21. Michael Eriksen, ScD
Dean, Institute of Public Health
Georgia State University
meriksen@gsu.edu
Additional information available at:
TobaccoAtlas.org
TobaccoPortal.org