A recent report on development in life-expectancy in Denmark described a disquieting increase in mortality when compared to other countries (Bjerregaard et al. 1993). The most conspicuous increase was found for lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in middle-aged Danish women, and the high prevalence of tobacco smoking was thought to be the major cause (Peto et al. 1992). The high mortality rates resulted in a stagnation of mean life expectancy, which by the end of the 1980's was among the lowest in Europe. Initiation of the present work was directly inspired by these findings.
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