Smoking and loss of longevity in Canada.

This is a first attempt to calculate mortality rates and to construct life tables by smoking status for the Canadian population. U.S. mortality ratios (American Cancer Society) have been applied to the smoking proportions in Canada to obtain mortality rates for life table construction. Canadian proportions of never and ever smokers are available in the General Social Survey (1985 and 1991). The reduction in life expectancy at age 35 for the ever smoked group is 5.8 years for men and 3.7 years for women, for current smokers 8.5 years for men and 5.3 years for women and for former smokers 3.7 years for men and 2.0 years for women. Smoking compromises life expectancy at all ages though the greatest difference is observed between age 60 and 80. At age 35 years, the life expectancy is reduced between 10 and 20% for current smokers. This loss of life in the younger years is substantial and should be of concern from the point of view of promoting good health and prevention of disease.