An Epidemic!

We're all going to die of cancer! The environment! Obesity! Your drinking water is killing you! Second hand smoke is killing you!

OK, maybe not (free registration required):

Americans are living longer than ever before — for an average of 77.6 years — and the life expectancy of men is drawing closer to that of women, according to government statistics released Monday.

Death rates from conditions such as heart disease and cancer appear to be declining, while those from others, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, have risen slightly.

The report, released by the government's National Center for Health Statistics, is based on more than 2.4 million death certificates issued in 2003, the latest year for which figures are available. The number represents about 93% of all certificates.

The statistics revealed that life expectancy had increased by nearly four months from the 2002 figure of 77.3 years.

I wonder, when was the last time average life expectancy declined over a five year period? I suspect not since WWII or the influenza outbreak of 1918.

So why is it that the nightly news always insists on telling me that my life is hanging by a thread?

Idiots.