London (Reuters) – tobacco-related deaths

have almost tripled in the last decade and large

tobacco companies are obstructing public efforts

that millions could be saved, said Wednesday a

report led by the Group World Lung Foundation (WLF).

In the report, which marks the tenth anniversary of its

first tobacco Atlas, the WLF and American Society of the

Cancer said that if current trends continue mil

million people will die this century because of the consumption of

tobacco and exposure to it, or one person every six

seconds.

Tobacco has killed 50 million people in the last

10 years and is responsible for more than 15 per cent of all the

deaths of men and 7 percent of women, found the

report of the new Atlas of tobacco (www.tobaccoatlas.org).

In China, tobacco is the leading cause of death – with

1.2 million deaths per year – and it is hoped that

number rise to 3.5 million a year by 2030, said the

report.

That is part of a broader shift in which lower the

levels of smokers in developed countries, but they grow in

-poor regions, said Michael Eriksen, one of the authors

of the report and director of the Institute of public health of the

State University of Georgia, United States.

“if we do not act, future projections are even

“

worst. “And the number of deaths caused by tobacco is

growing in developing countries particularly

in Asia, Middle East and Africa,” said Eriksen in an

interview.

Almost 80 percent of people who die by

tobacco-related diseases come from countries with

average or low income. In Turkey, 38 percent of the

male deaths due to diseases related with the

tobacco, although smoking also continues to be the main cause of

death among American women.

Accused the Chief Executive of WLF, Peter Baldini, to the

tobacco take advantage of ignorance on the

true effect of tobacco and “disinformation to undermine the

“”

health policies that could save millions of lives”.

The report says that the industry has intensified its fight

against the policies of anti-smoking, launching legal challenges and

trying to delay or stop the introduction of cigarette packets without

ornaments, the prohibition of smoking in public places, the

prohibition of advertising and health warnings in the

packages of tobacco.

The six main tobacco companies in the world had some

benefits of $ 35.100 million (26.500 million of

euros) by 2010, equivalent to the combined income of

Coca-Cola, Microsoft and McDonald ' s, the report said.

Smoking causes cancer of lung, as well as other diseases

lung Chronicles and is a factor important risk in the

heart disease, the leading cause of death in the world.

More than 170 countries have signed a Pact of the Organization

World Health (who) pledging to reduce rates

smoking, limit the exposure of passive smoking and

put a stop to the advertising and promotion of tobacco.