THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1987
ANTI-SMOKING FACT SHEETS DETAIL HEALTH RISKS
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A NEW SERIES OF EIGHT UPDATED FACT SHEETS, ENTITLED +HEALTH OR SMOKING. THE FACTS+, HAS BEEN PUBLISHED BY THE GOVERNMENT AS PART OF THE 1986-7 ANTI-SMOKING PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN,
THE FACT SHEETS ARE +SMOKING STATISTICS+, TOBACCO AND
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DISEASE - AN OVERVIEW+ →SMOKING AND DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM+, +TOBACCO AND HEART DISEASE+, +SMOKING AND REPRODUCTION+ +PASSIVE SMOKING+, +LOWER TAR CIGARETTES AND CIGARETTE SUBSTITUTES+ AND THE ECONOMICS OF SMOKING+,
THE LATEST RESEARCH FINDINGS ON THE HEALTH RISKS ARE HIGHLIGHTED BY STATISTICS AND OTHER FACTS GIVEN THROUGHOUT THE SHEETS, FOR EXAMPLE
* ONE IN EVERY FOUR SMOKERS WILL DIE PREMATURELY BECAUSE OF
TOBACCO-RELATED DISEASES;
*
*
THE RISK OF A SMOKER DYING BEFORE 65 IS ALMOST TWICE AS GREAT AS THE RISK FOR A NON-SMOKER :
BABIES BORN TO WOMEN WHO SMOKE DURING PREGNANCY ARE NEARLY A QUARTER OF A KILOGRAM LIGHTER AND ARE MORE LIKELY TO DIE AFTER BIRTH:
* THE RISK OF SUDDEN DEATH FROM A HEART ATTACK IS UP TO FIVE
TIMES AS GREAT AS IN NON-SMOKERS:
* CIGARETTE SMOKING IS THE MAJOR AVOIDABLE CAUSE OF ILL
HEALTH AND PREMATURE MORTALITY IN COUNTRIES WHERE IT IS WIDESPREAD IN HONG KONG THE NUMBER OF SMOKING RELATED DEATHS IS ESTIMATED TO BE AS HIGH AS 3 000 A YEAR.
FACT SHEETS NO. 3, 4 AND 5 GIVE DETAILED MEDICAL EVIDENCE OF THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE DIRECT HEALTH RISKS. THE ALARMING INCREASE OF OVER 72 PER CENT IN LUNG CANCER DEATHS OVER THE 10 YEAR PERIOD FROM 1975 TO 1984 IS HIGHLIGHTED.
CORONARY HEART DISEASE IS LISTED AS THE THIRD LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN HONG KONG WITH A QUARTER OF THESE DEATHS ASSOCIATED WITH SMOKING.
MOREOVER, THE KNOWN EFFECTS ON PREGNANT WOMEN AND THE IR BABIES, TOGETHER WITH THE ILL-EFFECTS OF SMOKING MOTHERS ON CHILDREN, ARE EXPLAINED.
/FACT SHEET