Declining Cancer Rates in U.S. Direct Consequence of Dramatic Fall in Smoking

The declining rates of cancer in America are the direct consequence of U.S cities becoming tougher on smokers. U.S citizens are now turning away from smoking and as a direct results U.S citizens are becoming healthier.

According to the New York Times, just 14 per cent of New York City adults said that they would consider themselves smokers in a 2010 survey, the lowest levels since recording smoking rates in New York began.

From 1999 to 2008 rates of lung cancer cases have dropped among men in 35 states in the U.S. and among women in six, with residents in the west of the country leading the rise against smoking the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention revealed Friday.

There has been a sharp decline in the rates of young adults smoking with a new generation not picking up the habit and there are hopes the younger generation in the U.S. will avoid the heavy toll of lung cancer, heart disease and other health problems related to smoking the Daily Telegraph reports.

'What the report is showing is that we are really turning around one of our most significant modern day epidemics, and that is lung cancer,'' said Marcus Plescia, director of CDC's cancer prevention and control division.

The new ban puts New York back at the top of the league of major US cities with tough health laws. Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco all have restrictions on smoking in parks, but Mr Bloomberg's are the toughest. Researchers said the Southeast has shown the least progress and probably has the weakest tobacco control programs reports the New York Times.

Mr. Bloomberg said on Thursday that the public had so embraced the recent smoking ban for beaches and parks that it hardly seemed necessary for the police to enforce it.

"The public obeys, understands and pressures others," he said. "Nobody likes to have somebody look at you in a derogatory, disparaging way," the Mayor said.

The figures will be of some comfort given the fact that smoking among women fell 38 per cent, compared with 31 per cent for men. Among racial groups, smoking among blacks dropped the most, by 40 per cent, followed by whites at 35 per cent and Hispanics at 28 per cent.

Mr. Sciandra, speaking to the New York Times, said the drop among blacks might reflect a trend going back to the 1990s, with black youths smoking less than white youths.

Cigarette smoking and exposure to second hand smoke caused most lung cancer deaths in the U.S. The stats showed that California has the lowest smoking rates at 12.1 per cent and Utah at 9.1 per cent according to the CDC.