Join the American Cancer Society for the Great American Smokeout on
Thursday and be a quitter
Tobacco
Atlas estimates 1 billion people will die worldwide during 21st
century if they don't quit smoking
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[November 13, 2012]
SPRINGFIELD -- As "the official
sponsor of birthdays," the American Cancer Society marks the 37th
Great American Smokeout on Nov. 15 by encouraging smokers to use the
date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking
that day.
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An estimated 1 billion people worldwide will die during the 21st
century because of tobacco use, according to The Tobacco Atlas,
published by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation.
The American Cancer Society provides tips and tools online to help
smokers quit tobacco for good.
"Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of
disease and premature death in the United States," said Katherine L.
Griem, M.D., president of the American Cancer Society's Illinois
Division. "Quitting smoking is the most important thing you can do
for your health, and the Great American Smokeout is a great way to
start."
Tobacco use accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths
and 80 percent of lung cancer deaths. In the U.S., tobacco use is
responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths, or about 443,000 premature
deaths each year. Smokers who quit, regardless of age, live longer
than people who continue to smoke. In just 20 minutes after quitting
smoking, heart rate and blood pressure drop, and in about one to
nine months after quitting, coughing and shortness of breath
decrease.
The American Cancer Society created the trademarked concept for
and had its first Great American Smokeout in 1976 as a way to
inspire and encourage smokers to quit for a day. One million people
quit smoking for a day at the 1976 event in California. The Great
American Smokeout encourages smokers to commit to making a long-term
plan to quit smoking for good. Tips and tools to help quit smoking
are available at
http://www.cancer.org/healthy/
stayawayfromtobacco/index.
Important facts about tobacco use
from The Tobacco Atlas, Fourth Edition, newly published by the
American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation:
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In 2011, tobacco
use killed almost 6 million people, with nearly 80 percent of
these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
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An estimated 600,000 people die
annually because of secondhand smoke.
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The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with
nearly a century of experience in order to save lives and work
toward ending cancer. As a global grass-roots force of 3 million
volunteers, the organization fights for every birthday threatened by
every cancer in every community. The American Cancer Society saves
lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting
it early, helping people get well by being there for them during and
after a diagnosis, finding cures through groundbreaking discovery,
and fighting back through public policy. As the nation's largest
nongovernmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than
$3.8 billion, the organization turns what is known about cancer into
what people do about it. As a result, an estimated 13.7 million
people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have
avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more
about the American Cancer Society or to get help, call
1-800-227-2345 anytime, day or night, or visit
cancer.org.
[Text from file received from the
American Cancer Society,
Illinois Division]
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