Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW Vol. 5 Num 1075 Sun. June 10, 2007       Star Health Pharma News Data on tobacco and second-hand smoke Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the world. It causes 1 in 10 deaths among adults worldwide. In 2005, tobacco caused 5.4 million deaths, or an average of one death every 6 seconds. At the current rate, the death toll is projected to reach 8.3 million by 2030 and a total of one billion in the 21st century.