Tobacco is the single largest cause of death in India - more than HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria combined. Bidi, cigarette and other forms of smoking kills around 900,000 Indians a year, most of them in the prime of life, and that smoking even a few bidis or cigarettes a day significantly increases the risk of death. Smoking alone accounts for nearly one in ten of all deaths in India. Smokers in India are twice as likely to die in middle age as non-smokers. Nine in ten cases of lung cancer are caused by smoking. Cancer deaths in India will continue to rise unless concerted action is taken now to reduce smoking rates. These deaths are completely preventable, according to a study titled "Current Science of Tobacco.

The report brought out by Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, Mumbai on the occasion of the World Tobacco Day observed on May 31, further stated that poor and uneducated suffer most because of their ignorance. Several studies suggest that tobacco is not just a public health issue, but is also a poverty, human rights, and a serious environmental concern. The challenge before us is to protect India's population of 600 million individuals below the age of 30 who are potential users of tobacco.

"This study comes at a very opportune time, and will surely provide individuals and organizations alike with the requisite insights into the dangers of tobacco for both the producers and consumers alike, and will also provide a glimpse into what measures can be taken to improve the situation substantially," said Dr Prakash C Gupta, director, Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, and Adjunct Professor, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, USA.

The event was attended by leading corporate companies based in or with a presence in the city, as well as the state nodal officer and leading medical practitioners.

Dr Gupta also spoke on the epidemiology of tobacco use in the country, with special highlights of the Mumbai Cohort Study, the largest and most comprehensive cohort study in the country. Dr Gupta also spoke of the issues relating to smoke-free efforts for corporate and current issues such as the Pictorial Warnings for Tobacco Products issue, which has seen a significant amount of initiative in the past few months.

The five year-old Healis - Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health is an organization dedicated to improving public health in India and other developing countries. Established on August 1, 2004 it is a leader in quality research in India.