The maths teacher who said “Every time I breathe, somebody dies in China” is correct (Letters, 4 October). The death rate in China is over seven per thousand people, and with a population of more than 1.4 billion people this means more than 9.8 million people die in China each year. The normal breathing rate for adults is around 16 breaths per minute. This leads to 16 x 60 x 24 x 365.25 = 8,415,360 breaths per year. Even taking a higher rate of 18 breaths per minute leads to 18 x 60 x 24 x 365.25 = 9,467,280 breaths per year. So there are many more deaths in China each year than the number of breaths taken by most people.
Wynn Davies
Hanwood, Shropshire
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