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The Nation : Respiratory Disease Death Rate Up 33%

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The emphysema and bronchitis death rate among Americans is up by a third since 1979, with the highest rates in the West, and 4 out of 5 such deaths are caused by smoking, the national Centers for Disease Control said in Atlanta. The CDC said 71,099 Americans died of the diseases in 1986, the latest year for which complete statistics are available. The toll does not include lung cancer deaths. Although men’s death rates remained higher than women’s, the rate for women was catching up. The male death rate went up only 15% from 1979 to 1986, but the female rate went up 80%.

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