The third edition of The Tobacco Atlaswas unveiled at the Livestrong Global Cancer Summit in the RDS in Dublin today.
The atlas, published by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation, displays how tobacco impacts global health and economies and tracks the progress and outcomes of tobacco control.
According to the atlas, the Irish economy lost $980 million (€684 million) in 2007 because of tobacco use, while the global economy lost almost $500 billion. This is put down to a result of lost productivity, misused resources, missed opportunities for taxation, and premature death.
Ireland is commended by the authors for its ratifications of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control - a policy of the World Health Organisation – and the implementation of the smoke-free workplace legislation.
World Lung Foundation chief executive Peter Baldini, said while various Western countries have moved in the right direction, the figures contained in the book illustrate a shift in global tobacco consumption towards the world’s poorer countries.
According to the atlas, 72 per cent of smoking related deaths in 2010 will be in low- and middle-income countries. “This evidence clearly articulates the breathtaking scope and dimensions of the problem. It calls out to be used actively in strengthening the case for policy change”, Mr Baldini said.
The Livestrong Global Cancer Summit ends tomorrow.