BEIJING - China's ministry of health said Tuesday that up to 100,000 Chinese die each year from passive smoking, while over half a million others were sickened by second-hand smoke.
The ministry's report, believed to be the first of its kind, estimated the nation had over 350 million smokers, with nearly one million dying from smoking-related disease each year, Xinhua news agency said.
"We hope the report can prompt authorities to institute and implement laws or regulations to prevent passive smoking inside public buildings," it quoted a National Center for Disease Control and Prevention official as saying.
The government has banned smoking on public transport but it is still allowed in many public places, including restaurants.
The ministry called on the cities hosting next year's Olympic Games here to issue a tobacco-free plan for a "green Olympics," Xinhua said.
China is home to one in three of the world's smokers and is the world's largest producer of tobacco, according to the World Health Organisation.
05/29/2007 13:27 GMT