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Every Breath We Take Should Be Smoke-Free
It has
been more than 4 decades ago since smoking was proven to cause lung
cancer and other serious diseases. Almost at the same time, the
negative perception that second
hand smoke
can cause serious disease and premature death in both adults and
children have been confirmed. Thanks to the report of the United
States Surgeon General entitled “The Health Consequences of
Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke,” it has strengthened our
view on the ill effects of cigarettes to people who smoke as well as
to those who do not smoke.
The report
came up with major conclusions on the health risks of second
hand smoke,
such as:
Second
hand
smoke is a proven cause of lung cancer and heart disease in
non-smoking adults and of sudden infant death syndrome, low birth
weight, acute respiratory infections,
ear infections
and asthma attacks in infants and children. It is responsible for
tens of thousands of deaths in the United States of America each
year.
There
is no risk-free level of exposure to second
hand smoke.
Exposure
to second
hand smoke
has substantial and immediate adverse effects on cardiovascular and
respiratory health.
Second
hand smoke contains more than 50 carcinogens
Comprehensive
smoke-free workplace policies are the only effective way to protect
non-smokers from second
hand smoke.
Other approaches, such as air ventilation systems, and smoking and
non-smoking sections of rooms, are not effective and do not not
eliminate exposure.
Their
conclusion is that it is about time that a comprehensive smoke-free
law is enacted that will be applied to all workplaces and public
places. The report also reaches another very important statement:
“Evidence from peer-reviewed studies shows that smoke-free policies
and regulations do not have an adverse economic impact on the
hospitality industry.”
With
this report, all arguments and excuses not to take action are
eliminated. Many research and hard economic data have revealed that
smoke-free laws do not harm sales or employment in restaurants and
bars. In fact, they sometimes have positive feedbacks, such as what
happened in New York City after the law has taken effect, business
receipts for bars and restaurants increased, their job employment
rose, and the number of liquor licenses increased. This happened
despite the fact that most establishments complied with the law, and
the great majority of New Yorkers supported the law.
Another
positive outcome is that smoke-free laws resulted in money savings.
According to statistics from the Society of Actuaries in the United
States, second
hand smoke
resulted US$ 10 billion a year in health care bills, lost wages, and
costs.
All
over the world, there is a concerted effort from different government
agencies to enact laws due mainly to the overwhelming evidence that
smoke-free laws protect the health of the general public without
harming the business sector. Even the corporate world have joined the
bandwagon by maintaining smoke-free workplaces and providing a
specified area for smoking. Some countries, states, provinces,
territories, and districts have adopted full smoking bans inside
restaurants and bars.
Passive
smoking is a major but preventable cause of death. Since smoking
hurts more people than just smokers, smoke-free laws need to be
upheld at all times to protect everyone's right to breathe clean air.
