VOA时事新闻2023 瑞典将成为欧洲首个"无烟"国家（在线收听）

Sweden is getting close to becoming the first "smoke-free" country in the European Union (EU).

瑞典即将成为欧盟第一个“无烟”国家。

The country of 10.5 million people has had the lowest percentage of smokers in the EU for many years.

这个拥有1050万人口的国家多年来一直是欧盟吸烟者比例最低的国家。

A country is "smoke-free" if less than five percent of the population smokes daily.

如果一个国家每天吸烟的人口少于5%，那么这个国家就是“无烟国家”。

Only 6.4 percent of Swedes over the age of 15 were daily smokers in 2019.

2019年，15岁以上的瑞典人中只有6.4%的人每天吸烟。

That was the lowest percentage in the EU.

这是欧盟最低的比例。

The Eurostat statistics agency says that across the 27 countries of the EU, the average was 18.5 percent.

欧盟统计局表示，欧盟27个国家的平均值为18.5%。

Data from the Public Health Agency of Sweden show that the smoking rate has continued to fall, reaching 5.6 percent last year.

瑞典公共卫生署的数据显示，吸烟率继续下降，去年达到5.6%。

"We like a healthy way to live, I think that's the reason," said Carina Astorsson, who lives in Stockholm.

住在斯德哥尔摩的卡琳娜·阿斯托森说：“我们喜欢健康的生活方式，我想这就是原因所在”。

Smoking never interested her, she added, because "I don't like the smell; I want to take care of my body."

她补充说，她对吸烟从不感兴趣，因为“我不喜欢烟味；我想照顾好自己的身体。”

Sweden says its anti-smoking actions improve health in several ways, including a lower rate of lung cancer.

瑞典表示，其禁烟行动在多个方面改善了居民的健康状况，其中包括降低了肺癌发病率。

Ulrika Arehed is secretary-general of the Swedish Cancer Society.

乌里卡·阿雷德是瑞典癌症协会的秘书长。

She said Sweden was early to limit smoking in public places such as school playgrounds.

她说，瑞典很早就开始限制在学校操场等公共场所吸烟。

Later, the country added smoking bans for outdoor restaurants and bus stations.

后来，该国又在户外餐厅和公交车站增设了禁烟令。

The country also increased taxes on cigarettes and changed rules on how they can be sold.

该国还增加了香烟税，并改变了香烟销售规定。

However, other forms of tobacco remain popular in Sweden.

然而，其他形式的烟草在瑞典仍然很受欢迎。

Snus is a wet tobacco powder placed in the mouth next to the teeth.

鼻烟是一种湿的烟草粉末，放在嘴里靠近牙齿的地方。

Snus makers say their products help reduce cigarette smoking.

鼻烟制造商表示，他们的产品有助于减少吸烟。

But health officials say snus is another product that makes people addicted to nicotine, the main drug in tobacco.

但卫生官员表示，鼻烟是另一种使人们对尼古丁上瘾的产品，尼古丁是烟草中的主要成分。

"It is true that smoking is more harmful than most things you can do, including snus. But…there are many health risks even with snus," said Arehed.

阿雷德说：“吸烟确实比你能做的大多数事情都更有害，包括吸鼻烟。但吸鼻烟也有很多健康风险。”

Snus is such a popular part of Swedish culture that the country demanded an exemption to the EU's ban on smokeless tobacco when it joined the EU in 1995.

鼻烟是瑞典文化中非常受欢迎的一部分，以至于瑞典在1995年加入欧盟时要求欧盟豁免对无烟烟草的禁令。

Patrik Hildingsson is a spokesman for Swedish Match, Sweden's top snus maker.

帕特里克·希尔丁森是瑞典最大的鼻烟制造商瑞典火柴公司的发言人。

He said officials should urge the tobacco industry to develop less harmful choices to smoking such as snus and e-cigarettes.

他说，官员们应该敦促烟草行业开发出危害较小的选择，如鼻烟和电子烟。

If snus and similar products are included, the World Health Organization (WHO) notes that more than 20 percent of adults in Sweden use tobacco.

如果将鼻烟和类似产品包括在内，世界卫生组织指出，瑞典超过20%的成年人使用烟草。

This brings Sweden close to the world average.

这使瑞典接近世界平均水平。

"Switching from one harmful product to another is not a solution," the WHO said in an email to The Associated Press.

世界卫生组织在给美联社发送的一封电子邮件中说：“从一种有害产品转向另一种有害产品并不是解决办法。”

Tove Marina Sohlberg is a researcher at Stockholm University's Department of Public Health Sciences.

托芙·玛丽娜·索尔伯格是斯德哥尔摩大学公共卫生科学系的研究员。

She said Sweden's anti-smoking rules have pushed smokers away from public spaces.

她说，瑞典的禁烟规定迫使吸烟者远离公共场所。

"We are sending signals to the smokers that this is not accepted by society," she said.

她说：“我们正在向吸烟者发出信号，这是不被社会接受的。”

The WHO marked "World No Tobacco Day" on Wednesday.

周三，世界卫生组织庆祝“世界无烟日”。

I'm Ashley Thompson.

阿什利·汤普森为您播报。