ETS poses additional health hazards for unborn and young children. Take a look at some census figures, guys. According to the U.S. Census, there were 20,000 children aged 5 and younger in the United States in December 1995. There are an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 cases every year of infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and children under 18 months of age who breathe secondhand smoke. Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in our society.
Tobacco use is responsible for nearly one in five deaths in the United States.
Based upon data from the American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study II, it is estimated that smoking is related to about 419,000 United States deaths each year. Although the number of cardiovascular deaths is declining, smoking-related cancer deaths continue to rise. According to the World Health Organization approximately 3 million people die worldwide each year as a result of smoking. Smokers lose an average of 15 years of life. The risks of dying of lung cancer are 22 times higher for male smokers and 12 times higher for female smokers than for people who have never smoked.