| Hyderabad, May 31: Tobacco is the world's leading killer. The total number of tobacco users in the world has been estimated at 1.2 billion, which is expected to rise to 1.6 billion by 2020s. According World Health Oraganisation (WHO)' recent estimate, there are about 1,100 million regular smokers in the world today. Of them, about 300 million (200 million male and 100 million female) are in the developed countries and nearly three times as many (700 million male and 100 million female) in developing countries. At present, tobacco causes death of four million people globally every year and by 2030 more than 80 percent of tobacco deaths every year will occur in developing countries. Over 90 percent of oral cancers in India can be attributed to tobacco smoking and chewing, and over nine lakh people are dying from the ill effects of tobacco and more than 2,500 deaths occur every day and tobacco is the main culprit for 40 percent of the cancers occurring in India. Moreover, the unfortunate thing is that the growth of smokers by 1.7 percent annually in the country. Smoking causes several health complications and claims many lives every year. The more cigarettes you smoke in a day, and the longer you have smoked, the higher your risk of lung cancer. Similarly, the risk arises the deeper your inhale and the earlier in life you started smoking. Heavy smokers (who smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day) are prone to lung cancer in particular. Lung, throat and mouth cancers hardly affect non-smokers. Prof T Mandapal, director of MNJ Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre, Hyderabad, says tobacco contains over 4,000 chemical compounds and at least 400 toxic substances, of which 60 are carcinogenic and its use is linked to over 25 diseases including heart, stroke, cancer and respiratory. He suggests that all direct and indirect forms of advertisement, sponsorship and promotion of cigarettes should be banned. Mandapal says that their hospital had started a 'Tobacco Cessation Centre' in 2004 and is helping addicts quit tobacco through behavioral counselling, medication and Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). For Details open the link :- | 
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