Half of pregnant women affected by passive smoking

According to reports released by the World Health Organization in Beijing on November 6, Global Adult Tobacco Survey (referred to as "GATS") data show that more than half of women of childbearing age are often exposed to passive smoking. The GATS survey results from the WHO in China and the United States Center for Disease Control showed that more than 50% of Chinese women of childbearing age  often inhale secondhand smoke in the workplace. In the home, passive smoking is more serious, with nearly three-quarters of the rural women exposed to  smoking at home, while more than half of urban women are exposed to  smoking at home.The data also show that among 14 developing countries, China's 15-49year-old female passive smoking rate is highest. Lan Ruiming, WHO representative in China, said, "for women of childbearing age, passive smoking can harm reproductive health, such as the emergence of symptoms of pregnancy complications, premature fetus and infant death."

Read more: Southern Weekend