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Smoking Gun: Speaking
to 9.8 Million Women & Girls of NYS
by Antonia
C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.h.
I
am writing to you about a product that each year kills more
New Yorkers than alcohol, cocaine, crack, heroin, murder, suicide,
car accidents, fire and AIDS combined. I am speaking of tobacco.
You
already know that lung cancer, not breast cancer, is the leading
cause of cancer deaths among women. And you know that as many
as 30 percent of deaths from cardiovascular disease are a result
of tobacco use, with women who smoke more than twice as likely
as other women to have a heart attack.
Here
are 14 reasons for not smoking—reasons that you may not have
thought about before. They come from your Health Commissioner
and your former Surgeon General. If you don’t smoke or if you
quit now, remember:
You
could add 14 years to your life span; You will protect your
family and friends from the deadly effects of second-hand smoke;
You will reduce your risk for infertility, ectopic pregnancy,
spontaneous abortion and having a stillborn child; You will
reduce your risk of having a baby born underweight with possible
learning disabilities; Your baby will be less likely to develop
asthma, colds, ear infections and other respiratory problems,
and will be at a lower risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome (SIDS); You will have less facial wrinkling, whiter
teeth and fresher smelling breath; You will maintain greater
bone density after menopause and be at less risk for hip fractures;
You will be at less risk for developing cataracts and age-related
macular degeneration; You will be able to save close to $2,000
per year on the cost of cigarettes that could be used for college
tuition, vacations and other family expenses; Your husband,
your children, your parents and your friends will thank you—because
they will have you around much longer!
If
you are a smoker, we are here to help. Just call the New York
State Smoker’s Quitline at 1-888-609-6292 and take the first
step toward a better life.#
Antonia
C. Novello is the New York State Commissioner of Health.
Education
Update, Inc., P.O. Box 1588, New York, NY 10159.
Tel: (212) 477-5600. Fax: (212) 477-5893. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of
the publisher. © 2003.
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