MONDAY, APRIL 7, 1980
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SMOKING CAUSES ILL HEALTH
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SMOKING DECREASES LIFE EXPECTANCY AND INCREASES THE INCIDENCE OF SUCH DISEASES AS LUNG CANCER, CORONARY HEART TROUBLE, CHRONIC BRONCHITIS AND EMPHYSEMA.
THE WARNING WAS GIVEN BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE HONG KONG CARDIOLOGICAL SOCIETY, DR RAYMOND WU, AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE SMOKING OR HEALTH EXHIBITION AT THE OCEAN TERMINAL THIS AFTERNOON.
THE FOUR-DAY EXHIBITION IS JOINTLY ORGANISED BY THE SOCIETY. THE ANTI-CANCER SOCIETY AND THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND SPONSORED BY THE HONG KONG HEART FOUNDATION.
IT IS PART OF A SERIES OF THE DEPARTMENT'S ANTI-SMOKING HEALTH EDUCATION ACTIVITIES ORGANISED TO MARK WORLD HEALTH DAY 1980 WITH THE THEME +SMOKING OR HEALTH: THE CHOICE IS YOURS+.
DR WU POINTED OUT THAT FROM STUDIES DONE BY THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ENGLAND, A SMOKER OF OVER 20 CIGARETTES A DAY LIVES THREE YEARS SHORTER COMPARED WITH A NON-SMOKER.
+MATHEMATICALLY ONE CAN DEDUCE BY CALCULATION THAT EVERY CIGARETTE YOU SMOKE BURNS AWAY YOUR LIFE BY 5.7 MINUTES,+ HE SAID.
DR WU SAID THAT A MALE SMOKER OVER 45 YEARS OF AGE IS THREE TIMES MORE LIABLE TO HAVE CORONARY HEART DISEASE AND THAT 90 PER CENT OF DEATHS FROM LUNG CANCER ARE SMOKERS.
SMOKING ALSO AFFECTS THE HEALTH OF OTHERS, AS IT HAS BEEN SHOWN THAT EVEN PASSIVE INHALERS ALSO SUFFER FROM ILL-EFFECTS OF THE INGREDIENTS OF SMOKE, HE SAID.
THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FROM TOBACCO CONSUMPTION AMOUNTED TO $360 MILLION IN 1978, AN AMOUNT THAT COULD BUILD NINE HOUSING ESTATES, HE ADDED.
DR WU STRESSED THAT SMOKING HAS BECOME THE LARGEST SINGLE PREVENTABLE CAUSE OF ILL HEALTH OF MOST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, INCLUDING HONG KONG.
+ IT NEEDS THE JOINT EFFORT OF EVERYBODY, PROFESSIONAL GROUPS AS WELL AS GOVERNMENT TO FIGHT AGAINST SMOKING FOR A HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT, HE SAID.
THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE EXHIBITION WAS PERFORMED BY THE DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, MR J.W. CHAMBERS.
THE EXHIBITION, SAID MR CHAMBERS, REPRESENTED A CO-ORDINATED EFFORT BY THE GOVERNMENT AND THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR.
HE SAID THAT THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT OF THE DANGER TO HEALTH REPRESENTED BY CIGARETTE SMOKING, IN THE LIGHT OF THE DETAILED RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN BY DOCTORS IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD.
/MR CHAMBE-S
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