According to reports, a new Australian survey has revealed that a third of smokers tend to believe that smoking health effects are overstated, as less than 4 out of 10 smokers are able to point out emphysema as a health effect of smoking.

Also, cancer council Victoria Survey of 861 smokers, revealed that 32% of smokers believe the health effects of smoking have been exaggerated, while 37.5% of smokers referred to emphysema or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease as a health effect of smoking.

The Executive Director of Quit, Fiona Sharkie, said: “Smokers are kidding themselves if they think they can get away with smoking because the health effects have been exaggerated, as almost all smokers will get emphysema, while a quarter of all deaths from smoking are from emphysema”.

However, Quit on Sunday launched a new ad campaign that featured former smoker Mick Roberts, who has suffered emphysema for 4 years, and in the series of ads, 49-year-old Roberts spoke about himself, his illness, along with its effects on him and members of family.

Moreover, the Cancer Council phone survey is reported to have been done in 2009 and gathered this year.