Blowing smoke about smoking fatalities

THE HSE claims that cigarettes kill one in every two smokers, based on the statistic that half of smokers die from smoking-related disease.

However, according to the CSO (Central Statistics Office), of the 29,000 total deaths per year, 18,000 or 62%, die from smoking-related disease. These diseases are caused by numerous factors as well as smoking, and there is no disease caused solely by smoking. Even for lung cancer, 15% of deaths occur in people who have never smoked.

Everyone knows that smoking is extremely bad for the health, but that is no excuse, out of ignorance or stupidity to abuse statistical evidence and mislead the public.

Smoking should be discouraged, but smokers nevertheless have the right to harm themselves.

No one should have the right to harm innocent people, especially children, but as an example, tetraethlylead, a known neurotoxin, was added to petrol over a period of 40 years resulting in an epidemic of mental problems.

This is yet another example of hypocritical spin-doctoring by state functionaires to evade tackling the real problems.

Michael Job

Glengarriff

Co Cork