ThePrint ·
The price to breathe: Why Goa’s women are paying with their lungs
Goa has seen a surge in lung cancer cases reported among women.
Where one person’s rights end, another person’s rights begin. Looks like this is certainly not true for India’s holiday capital, Goa.
What does one imagine when they think of Goa? Is it the standard scenery and the solemnity of beaches? The answer to a rapid fire question, beaches or mountains? But, sadly, Goa suffers from a crisis.
Everyone pays a price, beyond necessities and luxuries—the price to breathe, and this price is increasingly paid by women. According to the latest report by National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) India, there has been a surge in lung cancer cases reported among women. Earlier, the male-to-female ratio was 90:10, and has since then surged to 60:40. What is notable is that there are comparatively fewer women chain smokers than men.