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Tobacco Kills 625,000 in the Americas Each Year 

At least 625,000 individuals in the Americas die each year from tobacco use, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Tobacco use seems to be on the rise in most countries in the Americas, and the PAHO are urging governments to clamp down on tobacco sales to help reverse the trend.

``Smoking in the Americas, as in any developing countries, is on the increase (and) we can be sure that the amount of disease from smoking is going to go up--particularly heart disease and cancer,'' said David Brandling-Bennett, deputy director of the PAHO. The Pan American Health Organization serves as the regional office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Brandling-Bennett blames the increase in tobacco use on ``an emulation of the developed western culture, which people associate with smoking for various reasons.'' In addition, ``the tobacco industry is making a positive effort to increase smoking rates because it sees the future market as being limited--certainly in North America and probably in Europe as well. So it has got (to) seek new markets and it's doing so, unfortunately, apparently successfully,'' he said.

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