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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is the Health Report. |
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A new report from the United States surgeon general |
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finds that smoking tobacco |
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is even deadlier than had been known. |
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The report says smoking causes birth defects |
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- a leading cause of death among babies. |
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It also links smoking to cancer of the liver |
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and colon, diabetes and other diseases. |
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The first U.S. surgeon general's report on tobacco |
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and health was released in 1964. |
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It was the first scientific report to link smoking |
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with lung cancer and heart disease. |
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Now, 50 years later, Acting Surgeon General |
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Boris Lushniak has released a new report. |
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His report provides more evidence |
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about smoking tobacco and how it can harm health. |
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"If we're going to work together |
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to achieve a society free of tobacco-related disease, |
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this must be understood," said Lushniak. |
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The new report urges increased use of tobacco-control measures. |
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The suggested controls include raising prices of cigarettes, |
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and expanding bans on smoking in enclosed spaces. |
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The 2014 report calls for research on weather |
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lowing the amount of nicotine in cigarettes |
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could help people stop smoking. |
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It also contains new findings. |
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"Today we know that smoking is a cause of diabetes, |
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rheumatoid arthritis and poor response to treatment of arthritis, |
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erectile dysfunction, and increased risk of tuberculosis, |
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disease and death. |
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We're adding colon, rectal and liver cancer |
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to the long list of cancers caused by smoking," said Lushniak. |
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Doctor Lushniak also said smoking suppresses |
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the body's natural defenses for fighting disease. |
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He said this increases a smoker's likelihood of |
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getting an infectious disease. |
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"One of the most disturbing findings |
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is that the disease risks from smoking by women |
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have risen sharply over the last fifty years. |
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Women are now as likely to die from smoking as men, |
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women smokers' risk of lung cancer is now the same as men, |
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and more women die from chronic lung disease than men," said Lushniak. |
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The new report finds that those who do not smoke |
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are at a higher risk for stroke if left unprotected from tobacco smoke. |
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The latest research also shows damage to unborn children. |
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Babies are more likely to be born with cleft palate if the mother smokes. |
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The chemicals in tobacco smoke can have lasting effects |
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on brain development in a fetus. |
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The surgeon general would like to see more action |
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to keep young people from developing a smoking habit. |
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He supports higher prices on cigarettes, |
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more anti-smoking media campaigns |
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and more help for people who want to quit smoking. |
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And that's the Health Report from VOA Learning English. |
