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Forum Name "What Does RL Stand For?"
Topic subjectSome numbers and sources.
Topic URLhttps://forums.carrionfields.com/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=43&topic_id=309&mesg_id=451
451, Some numbers and sources.
Posted by Valguarnera on Wed 31-Dec-69 07:00 PM
These are per the American Cancer Society, but the more or less line up with WHO estimates.

How many people in the US die of lung cancer each year?

160,000 in 2004, per the American Cancer Society.

What are the estimates for people dieing of lung cancer from being a smoker?

87% of those lung cancer deaths are attributed to smoking.

From being exposed to secondhand smoke (25,000+)?

Roughly 3,000 lung cancer deaths. At least 20,000-25,000 deaths from heart disease and other maladies.

Do those numbers add up? Make statistical sense?

There's nothing inconsistent about them, if that's your question.

If you don't trust the American government to provide you information about tobacco, the following are from the World Health Organization. I've included citations to the primary sources, in case any more accusations of "hysteria" arise. FWIW, all of these references are from top-shelf medical journals. "Junk science" would get eaten alive by their review process.

Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke in the workplace have a 16 to 19% increased risk of developing lung cancer. Source: Fontham et al. JAMA 1994; 271(22): 1752–1959.

It has also been shown that non-smokers exposed to SHS have a 25 to 35% increased risk of suffering acute coronary diseases. Source: Law MR, Morris JK, Wald NJ. Environmental tobacco smoke exposure and ischaemic heart disease: an evaluation of the evidence. British Medical Journal 1997, 315:973–80.

Living with a smoker increases your risk of lung cancer (20% in women and 30% in men). Source: Hackshaw AK, Law MR, Wald NJ. The accumulated evidence on lung cancer and environmental tobacco smoke. British Medical Journal 1997, 315: 980–8.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com