Lung health warning

Policymakers need to step up efforts to cut smoking rates in Asia to prevent an "epidemic" of tobacco-related lung disease, medical experts have said at a conference in Mumbai.

Many Asian countries have seen a surge in tobacco use in the last decade, particularly among the young and in urban areas as a result of economic growth. A rise in smoking by women has also been noted.

But ignorance of the health risks remain, especially among the rural poor, while overall tobacco use is adding an economic burden to countries in terms of healthcare and insurance costs plus lost productivity through illness.