100,000 Chinese die annually from passive smoking

BEIJING, May 30 (Reuters) About 100,000 Chinese die annually from diseases associated with passive smoking while more than half a billion on the mainland suffer from the smoke exhaled from cigarettes, according to the Xinhua news agency.

The Ministry of Health reported that nearly one million people die from smoking-related diseases each year in China, the the world's largest tobacco producing and consuming country with more than 350 million smokers, it said.

The report was the first of its kind in China and said only 35 per cent of respondents were aware of the dangers of passive smoking, said Xinhua.

Most respondents misunderstood the issue and some thought that indoor smoking had little impact on their health when the room was ventilated.

''We hope the report can prompt authorities to institute and implement laws or regulations to prevent passive smoking inside public buildings,'' said Yang Gonghuan, deputy director of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The government has banned smoking on public transport, but it is still allowed in many public places, such as restaurants.

The health ministry also called on the cities hosting Olympic events in 2008 to strive for tobacco-free games.

REUTERS SKB PM0920