| PITTSBURGH, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Food and beverage industry workers are twice as likely as others to be smokers and face a higher risk of cancer, Pennsylvania health officials said. SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS Forty percent of such workers smoke in an industry in which smoking has long been tolerated, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Sunday. Pennsylvania Department of Health spokeswoman Stacy Kriedeman said the risk of cancer among hospitality workers is higher than that for others. "Hospitality workers have three times the (average) risk of lung cancer, which is 50 percent higher than any other industry", Kriedeman said. Health considerations led to a September 2008 Pennsylvania ban on smoking in most restaurants, the Post-Gazette reported. However, high rates or smoking persist in the industry. Workers in frenetic restaurant kitchens say quick-paced, stressful surroundings and an environment that has always accepted cigarette breaks pushes them toward smoking, the newspaper reported. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Related News Topics:
News of Pennsylvania
Top science, technical and computer stories
Disease, medicine, health care research
Miscellaneous science and technology stories
Disease, medicine, aids, health care research
|
