GREEN BAY, Wis. - Every year, $193 billion goes up in smoke in health-care expenditures and productivity losses because of cigarette smoking, according to the American Cancer Society.
Thursday is the 36th annual Great American Smokeout, and Laurie Pagel, public relations manager for the American Cancer Society in Wisconsin, says the annual observance is working.
"We are actually seeing that lung cancer death rates have decreased by about 14 percent from 1991 to 2007. But we know that tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States."
About 15 percent of all deaths in Wisconsin each year are attributable to smoking, and 46 million Americans still are smokers, despite the deadly statistics.
"Tobacco use is responsible for nearly one in five deaths overall in the United States. And we know that one third of cancer deaths could be prevented if people avoided tobacco products."
In addition to the toll-free phone number and website, Pagel says, the American Cancer Society has a presence on popular social media including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
"We actually invite people to join our American Cancer Society experts on Facebook on Nov. 17 for a live chat and to help them get answers to all of their quit-smoking questions."
Wisconsin can expect an estimated 4,000 new lung cancer cases and nearly 3,000 deaths from the disease this year. Pagel says smokers who quit can add up to eight years to their lives.
The American Cancer Society has plenty of resources to help people quit smoking and stay well. Free phone coaching is available at 1-800-227-2345, and tips and tools are online at cancer.org/smokeout.
