The one in five
Grandad January 1st, 2012
Our beloved Nanny State is off to a good start.
The paint is barely dry on the New Year and they are banging on about smoking again.
Apparently 5,500 smokers die every year according to our HSE.
This is actually correct.
You see, to the best of my knowledge around 28,000 people die here each year from all causes. And seeing as around 20% of them will be smokers then that represents 2,700 deaths which is near enough. It’s very strange that the HSE ignores the 22,300 non-smokers who die each year. Are they not worth a mention?
Also there is the claim that “One in every two smokers will die of a tobacco related illness”.
The problem with this line is that I don’t know what a smoking related illness is, and nor does the medical world. They ascribe just about anything to smoking , from cot-deaths and glue-ear through to nipples falling off. The result is that anyone who dies from any illness which is considered to be smoking related is counted a victim of smoking. Their problem is that they have never discovered a disease that is uniquely caused by smoking so they will never know if that person would have died anyway. It’s much more convenient to compare the actual cause of death against the long list of “smoking related” and if they find a match then bingo – another victim of the evil weed.
Of course I dispute the claim that one in every two smokers will die. The truth is that all smokers will die. And so will all non-smokers.
Death is a sad fact of life
- Smoking
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And let’s not forget all those alcohol and diet related diseases (not that we’re actually allowed to…).
I reckon death and disease figures quoted ‘overlap’ so to speak. For example, a smoker who also drinks and eats the occasional do-nut probably contributes to statistics more than once . It might be only ‘one death’ in reality, but several after being quoted by a number of different official bodies/organisations to suit their own agenda.
I wondered what your first post of the year would be about. Should have known.
yup, that’s life, no one gets out of it alive!
Action Man was a big smoker. No nipples. A clear giveaway.
Guess what else he didn’t have?
Something for you to look forward to after the auld nipples drop off.
Happy new year all the same.
Prog – That is a very valid [can 'valid' be qualified?] point. Now that the Righteous are spreading their nets doubtless every death will be counted four or five times over. What’s worse, their heart attack or cancer will now be directly as a result of four or five unique causes.
TT – Check back and see how many times I have covered this topic in the last year. I think I will resurrect the ‘smoking’ tag starting now. Heh!
Cat – And isn’t that a grand thought to start the year off?
Blackwatertown – Are you comparing me to Action Man? I suppose there are a lot of similarities……
meh..every day i wake up above ground is a good day =)
100% of all known fatalities are life-related.
Since (as you say) about 20% of the population smoke, that means that 80% of the population do not.
Surely, then, it is 4 times more likely to die if you are a non-smoker than as a smoker. A worrying statistic!
Okay, so I know I’m really late to this party, but I have to comment anyway. After a busy start to the year there I am scrolling through my RSS reader and this post pops up. As serious a topic as this is, it’s the nipples falling off bit that catches my attention and I immediately click on that. I don’t believe it. There is actually an article claiming your nipples may fall off if you smoke. Well, blow me down with a feather. I’m surprised and have a good laugh!
Thanks for that Grandad. Hope you’re having a grand start to the year.
Denise – You should know by now that the party never ends at Head Rambles Manor?