BAN IT - NOW!
A Europe-wide study, conducted in conjunction with antitobacco group HELP – for a life without tobacco, has found that 1,519 die in Portugal each year as a direct result of passive smoke. On a European level fatalities among passive smokers approach 80,000.
The study, while having been finalised earlier this year, was only distributed to the press late last week. Basing its research on figures obtained in 2002, researchers concluded that an average of 79,449 would die each year due to their involuntary contact with tobacco smoke.
In terms of causes of death, 61,000 of these deaths will be due to cardiac arrest or a stroke, 13,000 would die of lung cancer and a further five thousand due to chronic respiratory disease.
Researchers said the numbers could in fact be far worse, claiming they were extremely cautious in the compilation of their figures, with many cases not logged as soon as ambiguity into the causes leading up to a potential passive smoker’s death.
As reported in the Portugal News
Comments
It really is about time that the government found the courage to introduce legislation enabling non-smokers to enjoy smoke-free conditions in public places.
Irrefutable evidence in other countries indicates that an upturn in economic activity in bars and restaurants will ensue.
On an encouraging note, having watched the Sporting - Inter Milan game in the Alvalade Stadium last night it was remarkable that almost nobody was smoking and those that did were frowned at to the extent that they sought out remote corners to pollute. Not that long ago it would have been difficult to see the pitch through the fog of tobacco smoke.
Posted by: kevin ennis | September 13, 2006 5:03 PM