Smoking kills regardless of class (UK)

Being female or rich offers no defence against the ill heath caused by smoking, according to a new study. Researchers from Glasgow University and NHS Scotland looked at the impact of smoking on the survival rates of 15,000 men and women over a 28-year period. They found smokers of all social classes had a much higher risk of premature death than even the poorest non-smokers. The survival advantage women normally have over men was also cancelled out. The study, one of the first to examine the long-term impact of smoking on older men and women, was carried out by Dr Laurence Gruer and Dr David Gordon from NHS Health Scotland, and Professor Graham Watt and Dr Carole Hart from Glasgow University. Their findings are being published in the British Medical Journal online and conclude "in essence, neither affluence nor being female offers a defence against the toxicity of tobacco" - BBC