(Benedicte Kurzen for The New York Times; Michael Nagle for The New York Times; CDC/Jim Biddle)NEW YORK (New York Times),
October 31, 2007:
Shark attacks, raging fires and deadly bacteria all sound scary. But how do you know which calamities to worry about and which to ignore?
Everyone moves through life with different risks. Your own need to worry depends on a variety of factors, including age, where you live, how much you travel and your daily activities, noted Dr. James K. Hammitt, professor of economics at the Harvard School of Public Health. Consider this: it’s estimated that 150 people around the world die annually from falling coconuts. That’s more than double the estimated 62 annual shark attacks worldwide. But if you’re a person who regularly swims in shark-infested waters and you never stand under a coconut tree, then the average odds obviously don’t apply to you.
Take a look at the following chart, which we’ve put together from a variety of sources. It shows the total number of deaths annually due to various disease-related and accidental causes, as well as an average individual’s lifetime risk for a given health worry. On the scariest day of the year, maybe this will help put it all in perspective.
Risk Annual Deaths Lifetime risk
Heart disease.............652,486....................1 in 5
Cancer....................553,888....................1 in 7
Stroke....................150,074....................1 in 24
Hospital infections........99,000....................1 in 38
Flu...........................59,664....................1 in 63
Car accidents..............44,757....................1 in 84
Suicide......................31,484....................1 in 119
Accidental poisoning.......19,456....................1 in 193
MRSA (resistant bacteria1...9,000....................1 in 197
Falls..........................17,229....................1 in 218
Drowning....................3,306....................1 in 1,134
Bike accident.................762....................1 in 4,919
Air/space accident............742....................1 in 5,051
Excessive cold................620....................1 in 6,045
Sun/heat exposure.............273....................1 in 13,729
Shark attack*..................62....................1 in 60,453
Lightning......................47....................1 in 79,746
Train crash....................24....................1 in 156,169
Fireworks......................11....................1 in 340,733
Sources:
* Unless otherwise noted, all accidental death information from
National Safety Council.
* Disease death information from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
* Lifetime risk is calculated by dividing 2003 population (290,850,005)
by the number of deaths, divided by 77.6,
the life expectancy of a person born in 2003.
*Shark data represents number of attacks worldwide, not deaths.
Source: How Scared Should We Be, New York Times
Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
