March 2013 News 26: PASSIVE SMOKING MAY TRIGGER DEMENTIA

PASSIVE SMOKING MAY TRIGGER DEMENTIA

Passive smoking increases risk of severe dementia, according to a new study carried out in China which has determined such a link for the first time.

An international study by scientists in China, the UK and 4 the US found a link between passive smoking and syndromes of dementia.

The study of nearly 6,000 people in five provinces in China found that people exposed to passive smoking have a: significantly increased risk of severe dementia syndromes.

Passive smoking, also known as 'second-hand' smoke or Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), is known to cause serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including coronary heart disease and lung cancer.

The study was published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

It is not clear as to what will be the political fallout of the Supreme Court's order against Ashraf as this is probably the first case of an incumbent Prime Minister being ordered to be arrested in a corruption case. In March last year, the Supreme Court had declared all contracts signed by the government for 'rental power plants' as illegal and directed authorities to take legal action against those responsible for clearing the projects, including Ashraf.