VOA标准英语2009年-Less Tobacco Smoke Means Fewer Heart Attac

By Carol Pearson
Washington
22 October 2009
 
According to the WHO, smoke kills one person every six seconds
Tobacco deaths rarely make headlines, but the World Health Organization says tobacco smoke kills one person every six seconds. Studies have shown that tobacco smoke is not just deadly for tobacco users. Those who breathe in smoke from other people's cigarettes also have an increased risk for heart attacks. A new study shows that smoking bans have significant health benefits for everyone.

Virginia is the latest U.S. state to ban smoking in restaurants and bars. As communities across the country ban smoking in public places, fewer people are dying from heart attacks.

A study earlier this year in Pueblo¹, Colorado by the Centers for Disease Control showed heart attacks dropped by 40 percent after a law was enacted² to ban smoking at work or in public spaces. New research now supports this and similar studies.

Dr. Neil Benowitz is one of the researchers on this latest report. "If you expose someone to second hand smoke, within minutes you see blood platelets and blood clotting³ increasing," he explains. "We see that the function of the blood vessels⁴ is impaired⁵."

 
Study finds that the smoking bans - reduce heart attacks
And that is when heart attacks can occur. Dr. Lynn Goldman is the report's principal author. "We did conclude a cause and effect relationship between heart disease generally and second hand smoke exposure," she says.

"Even a small amount of exposure of second hand smoke can increase blood clotting, can constrict⁶ blood vessels and can cause a heart attack," adds Dr. Benowitz.

The researchers examined data from 11 studies in various countries. They found that smoking bans reduced heart attacks by anywhere from six percent to nearly 50 percent.

"One of the things to understand and appreciate about these smoking bans is that they are all slightly different. Some are enforced consistently, others are not enforced consistently," Dr. Goldman explains. "But despite that, they all show a consistent reduction in acute myocardial infractions and heart attacks after the bans."

Critics say the study is skewed because people who already had heart disease were not screened out. But the researchers say that would have been impossible.

"Most people who are diagnosed with heart disease have their diagnosis⁷ when they have their first heart attack," Dr. Benowitz says.

The study was released by the Institute of Medicine, an advisory⁸ group for the U.S. government.

As for the Pueblo, Colorado study, 400 people suffered heart attacks before the ban went into effect. In the 18 months after the ban, fewer than 240 people had heart attacks.

Neighboring areas without smoking laws had no change in their heart attack rates.

 

1 pueblo   

n.（美国西南部或墨西哥等）印第安人的村庄

参考例句：

• For over 2,000 years,Pueblo peoples occupied a vast region of the south-western United States.在长达2，000多年的时间里，印第安人统治着现在美国西南部的大片土地。
• The cross memorializes the Spanish victims of the 1680 revolt,when the region's Pueblo Indians rose up in violent protest against their mistreatment and burned the cit

2 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

3 clotting   

v.凝固( clot的现在分词 )；烧结

参考例句：

• The study was also based only on the one anti-clotting drug. 所用抗血栓药物也仅限于一种。 来自互联网
• A plasma protein that is converted into thrombin during blood clotting. 凝血原酶一种血浆蛋白质，在血液凝聚时转化成凝血''。'酵'。''''。'素'。''。 来自互联网

4 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 constrict   

v.压缩，收缩，阻塞

参考例句：

• Men and women alike have been constricted by traditional sexual roles.男性和女性同样受到传统性别角色的束缚。
• Severe migraine can be treated with a drug which constricts the blood vessels.严重的偏头疼可以用一种收缩血管的药物进行治疗。

7 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

8 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。