Study: Lung disease to kill 80M Chinese

Published: Oct. 4, 2008 at 2:32 PM

BEIJING, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- More than 80 million people in China will die of lung cancer in the next 25 years, U.S. researchers predict.

The Harvard School of Public Health noted the majority of those premature deaths are preventable, the BBC reported Saturday.

The researchers looked at a 30-year period, examining the effects of smoking and the burning of wood or coal at home for cooking and heating.

Researchers said about 83 million Chinese people will die prematurely of lung disease in the 30-year period they examined, which spanned the last five years and the next 25.

The British network reported that respiratory disease is already a leading cause of death in China. Currently, one in three cigarettes lit in the world is smoked in China.

Professor Majid Ezzati, the study's senior author, said the Chinese government could save millions of lives.

"If China manages to control tobacco through taxation, through health education, through advertising bans, and if it manages to get clean fuel to the 70 percent of its population who need cleaner fuels, or ways of burning their current fuels more cleanly, they have a lot of health gains to make."

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
NBA: Detroit 88, Philadelphia 81 (5 min)
NBA: Phoenix 102, Washington 90 (14 min)
'Grinch' ice sculptures star of Texas show (38 min)
GM still seeking Russia deal with Magna (42 min)
NYC man wants $5 million for cat bite
Loch Ness monster hunter Rines dead at 87
Invasive crayfish in Wis. ponds targeted
fark
"Snood" to be hot new fashion accesory this Christmas. The skort called; said it was thankful that...
Old wives' tale: "Milk makes mucus." Science says: "Snot true"
Madagascar leaders strike power-sharing deal, close ports
Photoshop this camel check
One researcher says a study has shown that fruit juice is just as bad for you as soda. Looks like...
"A woman was caught driving Thursday evening with a half bottle of Jose Cuervo tequila by her side,...