Global Issues and the Tobacco Industry

Smoking in Developing Countries 84% of smokers live in developing countries Not all developing countries require health warnings to be displayed on cigarette packets Most people smoke before the age of 18, some people have been using tobacco since before the age of 10

Smoking in Developing Countries Currently responsible for 1 in 10 deaths in adults In 2005, tobacco was the cause of 5.4 million deaths (1 person every 6 seconds) If current smoking levels continue, it will cause 8 million deaths by 2030

Tobacco and Poverty In developing countries, research shows that 10% of household expenditure is on tobacco This means that there is less money to spend on basic items such as food, education and health care.

Growing Tobacco Tobacco is grown in over 125 countries Tobacco farmers work long hard hours in the tobacco fields Working in the tobacco fields causes many health problems such as back problems and green tobacco sickness

Green Tobacco Sickness A type of nicotine poisoning Caused by nicotine from the surface to wet tobacco plants being absorbed by the skin Tobacco harvesters whose clothes become wet with rain or morning dew are at high risk of contracting Green Tobacco Sickness

Child Labour The use of child labour in tobacco production is widespread In Brazil 520,000 children under the age of 18 work in tobacco farms, 32% of whom are younger than 14 » In Malawi 43% of tobacco estates directly employ children

National Minimum Wage in the UK £2.50 – apprentice rate £3.64 – 16 – 17 year old rate £4.92 – 18 – 20 year old rate £5.93 – main rate for workers age 21 and over Therefore, the LEAST amount anyone in the UK is paid is £2.50 per hour

Wages in Malawi As you saw from the vide, children in Malawi have been paid as little at 11p PER DAY for working long hours in the tobacco fields. Do you think this is a good enough wage?

Some facts to think about It would take a tobacco farmer in Brazil 2,140 years to earn what a tobacco company director earns in a year It has been estimated that if food crops were grown instead of tobacco this land could feed between 10 and 20 million people In 2007 the combined revenues of the 3 leading tobacco companies was $147 (US) billion