WHO: ONLY
100% SMOKE-FREE ENVIRONMENTS ADEQUATELY PROTECT FROM DANGERS OF SECOND-HAND
(News Release WHO/26
ONLY 100% SMOKE-FREE ENVIRONMENTS ADEQUATELY PROTECT
FROM DANGERS OF SECOND-HAND SMOKE
New WHO policy recommendations point to extensive
evidence
Geneva, 29 May - The World Health Organization (WHO)
signalled the urgent need for countries to make all indoor public places and
workplaces 100% smoke-free with the release of its new policy recommendations
on protection from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke in advance of World No
Tobacco Day (31 May), which focuses this year on this theme.
"The evidence is clear, there is no safe level of
exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke," said the
There are about 4000 known chemicals in tobacco smoke;
more than 50 of them are known to cause cancer. Exposure to second-hand smoke
causes heart disease and many serious respiratory and cardiovascular diseases
that can lead to premature death in adults. It also causes diseases and worsens
existing conditions, such as asthma, in children. The new WHO policy
recommendations are based on the evidence of three recent major reports, which
all reached the same conclusion: Monograph 83 Tobacco Smoke and Involuntary
Smoking by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the United
States Surgeon general's Report on The Health Consequences of Involuntary
Exposure to Tobacco Smoke and the California Environmental Protection Agency's
Proposed Identification of Environmental Tobacco Smoke as a Toxic Air
Contaminant.
Exposure to second-hand smoke occurs anywhere smoking
is permitted: homes, workplaces and other public places. An estimated 200 000
workers die each year due to exposure to smoke at work. WHO estimates that
around 700 million children, or almost half of the world's children, breathe
air polluted by tobacco smoke, particularly at home.
The Global Youth Tobacco Survey, developed by WHO and
the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), interviewed
students between 13 and 15 years old in 132 countries between 1999 and 2005.
The results of the survey show that 43.9%
of the students are exposed to second-hand tobacco
smoke at home, while 55.8% are exposed to smoke in public places. Support for
smoking bans in public places is global, with 76.1% of the students surveyed in
favour.
The costs of second-hand smoke are not limited to the
burden of disease. Exposure also imposes economic costs on individuals,
businesses and society as a whole. These include primarily direct and indirect
medical costs, but also productivity losses. In addition, workplaces where
smoking is permitted incur higher renovation and cleaning costs, and increased
risk of fire, and may experience higher insurance premiums.
Later this year, countries participating in the second
Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
are expected to discuss guidelines for protection against exposure to
second-hand tobacco smoke. The second Conference of the Parties, starts on June
30 in
"This topic should matter to everyone, because
everyone benefits from smoke-free places," said Dr Douglas Bettcher,
Acting Director of the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative. "With this year's
theme, we hope that everyone, especially policy makers and employers, will be
inspired to claim, create and enjoy spaces that are 100% free from tobacco
smoke. By doing so, we keep the bodies inside those spaces smoke-free too, and
greatly increase our effectiveness in preventing serious diseases and saving
lives in future generations."
Organizations, institutions and communities around the
world celebrate World No Tobacco Day with different activities, for example
marches, educational meetings and smoking cessation workshops, to raise
awareness of the lethal health consequences of tobacco use and exposure to
second-hand smoke. The day is also used to mark the beginning of extended media
and advocacy campaigns or to introduce lasting policy changes, such as making
public and workplaces 100% smoke-free.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death
globally, causing more than five million deaths a year. Tobacco use continues
to expand most rapidly in the developing world, where currently half of
tobacco-related deaths occur. By 2030, if current trends continue, 8 out of
every 10 tobacco-related deaths will be in the developing world.
Verklaring WGO in EN
Verklaring WGO in FR
More information on World No Tobacco Day: www.who.int/tobacco/wntd.
Download full brochure and other documents: http://www.who.int/tobacco/resources/publications/wntd/2007/en/index.html
More information on activities around the world: http://www.who.int/tobacco/communications/events/wntd/2007/activities/en/index.html.
For more information on the WHO policy recommendations
on protection from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke:
http://www.who.int/tobacco/resources/publications/en/
More information on the Global Youth Tobacco Survey: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/global/gyts/GYTS_links.htm
Health risks associated with tobacco: http://www.who.int/tobacco/resources/publications/en/smokersbody_en_fr.pdf