By Clive Leviev-Sawyer
Smoking on the beach is more dangerous than indoors because, according to new research by a team of scientists, sunlight heightens the carcinogenic effects of tobacco.
Photo: Nadezhda Chipeva
Research has also found that Vitamin A increases the risk of cancer in smokers, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported on July 25.
Bulgarian professor Roumen Balanski, working with colleagues from Italy, tested the effects of sunlight in combination with tobacco. The research suggested that ultra-violet rays caused genetic changes not only to skin but also to internal organs such as the heart and lungs, and also bone marrow. The deleterious effects of combining Vitamin A and smoking were a surprise, BNT said. The conclusion emerged from two independent studies in Finland and the United States. Balanski said that the explanation could be that the combination promoted the formation of free radicals. BNT said that scientists advised that if smokers did not kick the habit, the fallback option was at least not to smoke on the beach. [rc]
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