Nine out of 10 people with oral cancer in Taiwan chew betel nut, the Bureau of Health Promotion said on Tuesday, adding that it would focus awareness efforts on drivers, an occupation in which a high percentage of workers have oral cancer.
Using statistics provided by the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the bureau said construction workers, drivers and fishermen topped the list of occupations at risk of contracting oral cancer and that the main cause was chewing betel nut.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer lists betel nut as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans, the bureau said.
The Department of Health’s statistics of cancer rates in 2008 and the death rate in 2010 showed that oral cancer ranked fourth among the 10 leading causes of cancer mortality among men in Taiwan, and that about 6,000 people were diagnosed with oral cancer each year.
According to a health survey in 2009, 23.9 percent of men between the ages of 18 and 39 who chew betel nut had only graduated from senior-high school, while 46.1 percent only had junior-high school education, the bureau said, adding that the data indicated that the health problems related to chewing betel nut mainly affected laborers in Taiwan.
The bureau also said many drivers chew betel nut to refresh their minds when driving long distances.
Bureau Director-General Chiou Shu-ti (邱淑媞) said her bureau would initiate promotional projects beginning with drivers as well as working with shipping companies to create a betel nut-free working environment.
Chiou said cooperation with two major shipping companies in the country have already showed positive results — the percentage of drivers at one company who chewed betel nut had dropped from 24.3 percent in 2007 to 7.97 percent last year.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or