According to "Tobacco Atlas", which released on Monday (March 09), tobacco usage will kill six million people annually by 2010, and drain $500 billion from the worldwide economy that exceeds the total combined annual expenditure on health in all low and middle income nations.

The atlas reported that the tobacco industry has made the countries having less efficient public health plans and poor resources as their major areas of focus.

Hana Ross, the author of "Tobacco Atlas", said, “Because 25 percent of smokers die and many more become ill during their most productive years, income loss devastates families and communities.”

The third version of the ‘Tobacco Atlas’, which was jointly prepared by World Lung foundation jointly and American Cancer society (ACS), was released in Mumbai on the second day of the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health.

Judith Mackey, the special advisor at World Lung Foundation, said, “Tobacco industry has shifted its marketing and sales efforts to countries that have less effective public health policies and fewer resources and by 2010, tobacco will kill six million people worldwide annually.”

Since 1960, the worldwide production of tobacco saw an increase of 300 percent in low and middle-resource nations, whereas the same dropped over 50 percent in high-resource countries.

The ‘Atlas’ is important to understand the nature of the most preventable global health epidemic, the authors said.   

Over 2,000 delegates from all over the world attended the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health, which started in Mumbai on March 08 and ended on March 12.