For Smokers, Never Too Late to Quit; Diesel Exhaust and Cancer
VOA News 조회 수 1067 추천 수 0 2012.07.17 02:06:11This is the VOA Special English Health Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish
There's new
medical evidence for the expression "better late than never." Researchers have
found that smokers reduce their risk of dying from tobacco even if they stop
smoking after the age of 60. Smoking is a known risk for many diseases,
including many forms of cancer as well as heart disease. But most studies on the
health effects of smoking involve middle-aged people. The latest analysis by
German researchers examined the findings of 17 studies. These were carried out
in the United States, China, Australia, Japan, England, Spain and France.
Smokers 60 and older had an 83 percent increased risk of dying from all causes
compared to people who had never smoked. Smokers also had a 34 percent higher
risk of death compared to former smokers. T.H. Lam is professor in the school of
public health at the University of Hong Kong. He says people who continue to
smoke as seniors have at least a 50 percent chance of dying from their smoking
habit. "And if they stop smoking, then they can reduce about one-quarter of
their excess risk," he says.What about smokers who start at a young age and stop
when they are in their 30s? Dr. Lam says they can reduce their risk of dying
from a smoking-related illness to almost the same level as someone who never
smoked. Even people who never smoke can still die from breathing other people's
secondhand smoke. An article on smoking among older individuals, with a
commentary by T.H. Lam, appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine. In other
news, the World Health Organization now says diesel fuel exhaust causes cancer.
Since 1988 the WHO had rated exhaust from diesel engines as "probably
carcinogenic" to humans. Now, it compares the risk to that of secondhand
cigarette smoke. The announcement came after international experts spent a week
reviewing new research findings. Those included a long-term study of more than
12,000 miners who were heavily exposed to diesel exhaust. The diesel industry
pointed out that the mining study lacked exact data on exposure levels during
its early years. Also, diesel engine makers point to their new designs that
produce far less emissions than older truck and bus engines.The WHO says
stronger standards are needed to limit diesel emissions into the air. The United
States Environmental Protection Agency continues to rate diesel as only a
"likely" cause of cancer. For VOA Special English, I'm Carolyn Presutti.(Adapted
from a radio program broadcast 20Jun2012)
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