UK – Smokers take eight more days of sick leave compared to their counterparts, according to a new study by the University of Amsterdam.

The study examined more than 14,000 people between 1988 and 1991, and found that current smokers took 34 days off, while smokers who had quit the habit took 25 days off. However, workers who had never smoked only took 20 days off the entire year. 

"The results in this paper provide some of the strongest evidence to date of the relationship between smoking and sick leave," researcher Petter Lundborg wrote.

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