For Immediate Release:
August 12, 2005

Contact:
Nanci Gonder, Office of Public Information
573-751-6062

Missourians mourn lives lost to tobacco use
New Tobacco Quitline can help smokers kick habit

In recognition of the almost 10,000 Missouri lives lost each year to tobacco use, the state’s top health official encourages smokers to call the Missouri Tobacco Quitline: 1-800-QUIT-NOW. The Quitline offers free tobacco cessation counseling to help Missourians kick the tobacco habit.

“Peter Jennings’ death is tragic and certainly has raised the nation’s awareness,” said Julia M. Eckstein, director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, “yet death from tobacco use happens every day right here in Missouri. I hope all my fellow Missourians will take the opportunity to encourage our loved ones who smoke to take advantage of resources like our Missouri Tobacco Quitline.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking kills an estimated 438,000 Americans each year. On average, smoking reduces adult life expectancy by approximately 14 years. The latest lost productivity estimate combined with smoking-related health-care costs exceeds $167 billion per year in the United States.

“There is no such thing as a safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke,” said Janet Wilson, manager of the Tobacco Use Prevention Program for the state health department. “Whether it’s light cigarettes or secondhand smoke from someone close to you, tobacco smoke is a proven cancer-causing agent.”

Wilson said the best way to avoid the hazards of tobacco smoke is to never start smoking, but that smokers who quit could expect health-improving benefits almost immediately and for the rest of their lives.

According to health department estimates, Missouri’s annual medical cost to treat smoking-related illness is about $1.67 billion. Missouri’s adult smoking rate in 2004 was 24.1 percent, which is significantly higher than the U.S. average of 20.8 percent.

For more information about quitting or prevention programs, contact the Missouri Tobacco Use Prevention Program toll-free at 1-866-726-9926, http://www.dhss.mo.gov/SmokingAndTobacco.

For help with quitting smoking, call the Missouri Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669). Related materials also are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health, 1-800-CDC1311, http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco.