Quick Answer. The liver is an organ of the digestive system. The role of the digestive system is to transform food into necessary energy and to rid the body of solid waste. The liver functions within this system by producing bile and by filtering the blood from the digestive system.
The Times analysis of 2009 death statistics, the most recent available, showed: 1  For the first time ever in the US, more people were killed by drugs than motor vehicle accidents. 2  37,485 people died from drugs, a rate fueled by overdoses on prescription pain and anxiety medications, versus 36,284 from traffic accidents.
More than 16 million people already have at least one disease from smoking. More than 20 million Americans have died because of smoking since 1964, including approximately 2.5 million deaths due to exposure to secondhand smoke. 8.6 million people live with a serious illness caused by smoking. On average, smokers die 13 to 14 years earlier than nonsmokers.