Learning English

Long working hours killing 745,000 people a year, study finds

Long working hours are killing hundreds of thousands of people a year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The first global study of its kind showed 745,000 people died in 2016 from stroke and heart disease due to long hours. Neil and Tom give you the vocabulary to talk about this news story.

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The story

The study looked at health risks for people working fifty-five hours a week or more and found a thirty-five percent higher risk of stroke and a seventeen percent higher risk of heart disease. Men are more vulnerable than women.

The Asia-Pacific, including Japan, Australia and China, is the worst-affected region. The statistics date from before the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Key words and phrases

killer
a cause of death / something difficult or unpleasant

• I’ve told you to stop smoking! Cigarettes are a killer!
• Running the marathon was a killer, but I did it!

detrimental
likely to cause harm

• Studies have found that air pollution can be detrimental to our health.
• Vinh prioritises his work, to the detriment of his family relationships.

burden
something that causes hard work or difficulty

• A criminal record is a burden that no young person wants to carry.
• Please don’t burden me with any more of your problems. I’ve had enough!

To do

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