India faces smoking death crisis

by Jarrett Martineau | February 13, 2008 at 07:22 pm

3128 views | 2 Recommendations | 14 comments

The tobacco industry is big business in the United States, but India's huge population of smokers is producing a massive health crisis that, if not acted upon, will result in millions of lives lost in the next ten to twenty years.

One million people a year will die from tobacco smoking in India during the 2010s, research predicts.

The New England Journal of Medicine study found smoking already accounts for 900,000 deaths a year in India.

The study warns that without action, the death toll from smoking will climb still further.

It predicts smoking could soon account for 20% of all male deaths and 5% of all female deaths between the ages of 30 and 69.

The researchers have calculated that on average, men who smoke bidi - small hand-rolled cigarettes common in India - lose about six years of life.

Men who smoke full-size cigarettes shorten their lives by about ten years.

And for women bidi smokers the figure is about eight years.

I shudder to think how these figures might add up in a country like
China, where every man seems to be a smokestack, after the age of about
fifteen. China could soon have a similarly large health crisis on its hands, unless old habits are able to be broken.

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koshyk12

at 17:52 on February 13th, 2008

Smoking "biri" or 'bidi' consisting of chopped flakes of tobacco rolled in tendu leaf into a slim stick. Once thought to be safer than cigarettes, it is now proved that they are more carcinogenic than any other form of tobacco. This combined with the miserable conditions under which women and children roll them in 'factories' make bidis a deadly cocktail of health, Human right and exploitation. Now flavoured bidis are attracting even well to do people, espcially the younger ones.

Koshyk has contributed a photo to this story.

$thefractionalpart$

thefractionalpart

at 20:01 on February 13th, 2008

14 year old boy @ the Flower Market in New Delhi. He was with another young co-worker who was inhaling correction fluid ("white-out").

thefractionalpart has contributed a photo to this story.

Angshuman

at 21:33 on February 13th, 2008

I found this man in a place called Kumartuli in Kolkata, India. The place is famous for the making of Hindu clay goddesses. This man - very old - was sitting amongst the artists and talking mindlessly and taking a few puffs from his Bidi.

Angshuman
www.pbase.com/frozenvision

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kberg

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 21:44 on February 13th, 2008

Jarrett Martineau, I like this story. It's good stuff. Those are some scary statistics!

Meghna Sejpal

at 22:04 on February 13th, 2008

was in Rajasthan in Diwali-'06. While exploring the crowded streets of Ajmer, I noticed this man with a 'bidi' in his hand. he smoked as if he breathed- it was so much a part of his character- totally unaware of what damage it could cause to himself & the people around him.

Meghna Sejpal has contributed a photo to this story.

ashitparikh

at 22:14 on February 13th, 2008

Women smoking is still quiet a taboo in India. In the cities the women are wearing clothes which are revealing but still are hesitant to smoke in public, where in the rural areas women cover even their heads but are not hesitant to smoke in public. Quiet a contrast.

ashitparikh has contributed a photo to this story.

markande

at 22:16 on February 13th, 2008

It is indeed an increasing threat to the health of India, one that the government is wrangling for so long without success.

The problem is that the bidi manufacturing provides employemnt to millions and the govt. can't put curbs on that industry for fear of loosing votes. But now steps are being taken by the health minister to increase duties and feature graphic warnings on ciggarette packs. Yesterday I talked to a labourer who had a strong smell of tobacco all over him, and I asked him about his habit and he says that "Sir the labour class needs one intoxication or the other to keep working, and in my circle 90% smoke, but we are hardy people and cancer doesnt get to us." Too bad that he does not notice that nobody can say that he is just 28 and not in his late 30's.

Prashantbhardwaj

at 00:39 on February 14th, 2008

Smoking Bidis for a lot of people is not really a habit but has become such an integral part of their lives that they cannot live without it, irrespective of the kind of threat it poses to them and people around.

Prashantbhardwaj has contributed a photo to this story.

Dewang Modi

at 00:46 on February 14th, 2008

Shot this photo during an early morning outing at a local flower market. The man is smoking an indian version of the cigarette called "Bidi". The bidi is said to be more lethal as it does not have any filters and is made from packing tobacco in a leaf.

Dewang Modi has contributed a photo to this story.

junkie ride

at 02:35 on February 14th, 2008

cobbler taking his regular bidi break!

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kekky64

at 10:06 on February 15th, 2008

Hand rolling bidi in Varanasi.

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ycpandey

at 02:37 on March 1st, 2008

Smoking in INDIA is very common in men. Most of the village population use to smoke so called BIDI which is the dry leaf of Diospyros melanoxylon plant also known as East Indian Ebony or Tendu in Hindi, stuffed with tobacco. In the state of CHHATTISGARH It is a major source of income of villagers who collect the green leaves and sell them to government controlled Minor Forest Produce Society.

ycpandey has contributed a photo to this story.