WHO urges smoking ban in public places

[nevadamedic]

The U.N. health agency on Tuesday issued its strongest policy recommendations yet for controlling tobacco use, urging all countries to ban smoking at indoor workplaces and in public buildings.

"The evidence is clear. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke," said Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization.

Tobacco use is the world's leading cause of preventable death, accounting for 10 percent of adult fatalities, according to WHO. It is responsible for 5.4 million deaths each year, a figure that is expected to rise to 8.3 million by 2030, the agency says.

Increasing numbers of nonsmokers will also die unless governments take action, WHO said in its 50-page report. It said governments of both rich and poor countries should declare all public indoor places smoke-free, by passing laws and actively enforcing measures to ensure that "everyone has a right to breathe clean air, free from tobacco smoke."

At least 200,000 workers die each year because of exposure to smoke at their offices and factories, according to the U.N. labor agency. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 3,000 deaths from lung cancer each year occur among nonsmoking Americans.

"This is not about shaming the smoker. This is not even about banning smoking," said Dr. Armando Peruga, who heads WHO's anti-tobacco campaign. "This is about society taking decisions about where to smoke and where not to smoke."

He cited Ireland and Uruguay as governments that have successfully tackled smoking by creating and enforcing smoke-free environments. Legislation of the kind has proved popular among both smokers and nonsmokers, according to WHO, whose policy recommendations set broad goals for its 193 member states but are not legally binding.

Almost half the world's children — some 700 million — are exposed to air polluted by tobacco smoke, particularly at home, WHO says. The agency made its recommendations on the basis of new reports by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the U.S. surgeon general and the California Environmental Protection Agency.

WHO said in 2005 that it had stopped hiring smokers, as part of what it termed its "public lead" in the fight against tobacco.

http://health.yahoo.com/news/175690

That is a noble effort my :clap:

[JLO]

The U.N. health agency on Tuesday issued its strongest policy recommendations yet for controlling tobacco use, urging all countries to ban smoking at indoor workplaces and in public buildings.

"The evidence is clear. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke," said Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization.

Tobacco use is the world's leading cause of preventable death, accounting for 10 percent of adult fatalities, according to WHO. It is responsible for 5.4 million deaths each year, a figure that is expected to rise to 8.3 million by 2030, the agency says.

Increasing numbers of nonsmokers will also die unless governments take action, WHO said in its 50-page report. It said governments of both rich and poor countries should declare all public indoor places smoke-free, by passing laws and actively enforcing measures to ensure that "everyone has a right to breathe clean air, free from tobacco smoke."

At least 200,000 workers die each year because of exposure to smoke at their offices and factories, according to the U.N. labor agency. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 3,000 deaths from lung cancer each year occur among nonsmoking Americans.

"This is not about shaming the smoker. This is not even about banning smoking," said Dr. Armando Peruga, who heads WHO's anti-tobacco campaign. "This is about society taking decisions about where to smoke and where not to smoke."

He cited Ireland and Uruguay as governments that have successfully tackled smoking by creating and enforcing smoke-free environments. Legislation of the kind has proved popular among both smokers and nonsmokers, according to WHO, whose policy recommendations set broad goals for its 193 member states but are not legally binding.

Almost half the world's children — some 700 million — are exposed to air polluted by tobacco smoke, particularly at home, WHO says. The agency made its recommendations on the basis of new reports by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the U.S. surgeon general and the California Environmental Protection Agency.

WHO said in 2005 that it had stopped hiring smokers, as part of what it termed its "public lead" in the fight against tobacco.

http://health.yahoo.com/news/175690

That is a noble effort my :clap:

I am waiting for them to make cigarettes illegal!

[nevadamedic]

I am waiting for them to make cigarettes illegal!

Unfortunatly I sont think that will ever happen, eventhough they are bad for you and you are poisoning everyone you smoke around.

[DragonStryk72]

Well, it could happen, but first, the government would have to stop getting several billion dollars a year in tax revenues, plus stop receiving funding for candidates from the tobacco industry, first.

[nevadamedic]

Well, it could happen, but first, the government would have to stop getting several billion dollars a year in tax revenues, plus stop receiving funding for candidates from the tobacco industry, first.

Yea, like that's ever going to happen!

[Doniston]

Ah yes, and then we will have to ban all automotive vehicles. Which do you think causes more cancer. auto Exhaust, or a litle bit of second hand smoke?

[darin]

We should ban Aging AND volcanos, too.

Won't be TOO long (relatively) before Christianity is banned.

[-Cp]

Nothing like taking marching orders from the freakin' UN!!!

Pfffft.

[manu1959]

when are they going to ban cars? their exhaust is much worse than second hand smoke....

[Monkeybone]

should ban TV and video games...that just makes ppl sit around and get out of shape.

[Mr. P]

John Stossel just did a report on myths last month I think it was...

One was second hand smoke is harmful. If I remember correctly he stated that there is NO evidence to prove second hand smoke that people are commonly exposed to is harmful.

[manu1959]

should ban TV and video games...that just makes ppl sit around and get out of shape.

how about the internet and message boards?...are you powerless against those as well....

[Trigg]

I am waiting for them to make cigarettes illegal!

Why? So the gov. can start a war on tobacco??

Remember prohibition did wonderful things for the mafia and bootleggers.

No, second hand smoke isn't pleasent, but making smoking illegal would be moronic.

[Mr. P]

I am waiting for them to make cigarettes illegal!

Never happen in the US, the tobacco industry is way to large to even try. Very much a part of the economy and the revenue from taxes. IMO

[Monkeybone]

how about the internet and message boards?...are you powerless against those as well....

sure why not. or just make it mandatory to have a treadmill or bike or any kind of work out equipment attached to generate power

[Gaffer]

If they make smoking illegal I WILL be a criminal. Which would lead to a shoot out.

[nevadamedic]

Johot cancern Stossel just did a report on myths last month I think it was...

One was second hand smoke is harmful. If I remember correctly he stated that there is NO evidence to prove second hand smoke that people are commonly exposed to is harmful.

That is false, I know someone who got cancer from second hand smoke.

[Mr. P]

That is false, I know someone who got cancer from second hand smoke.

Please don't change my quote again. Thanks!

[chum43]

That is false, I know someone who got cancer from second hand smoke.

I love this other myth, the idea that cancer is some sort of virus you can catch or that can be caused by something minute... I'm sorry but no one got cancer from second hand smoke, maybe it was helped along a little, or they got it quicker, but it was only a matter of time... people can chain smoke for decades and decades before they get cancer, breathing in a few puffs over the years will not be significant enough to singlehandedly cause cancer. Breathing the air in a large city is much worse than second hand smoke, which incidentally is the only place you can really get that much second hand smoke because of the high concentration of smokers... the point is anti-smoking advocates are completely irrational, if they had any sense they would allow businesses to choose, if you don't want second hand smoke don't work at or go to the 1% of places that would put up signs as a smoking allowed sort of joint. what's even more amazing is that these people aren't going to be satisfied with indoor public places, pretty soon they'll be pushing for a complete ban.

Prohibition did do wonderfully things for the mafia and bootleggers, but that was a calculated risk in order to create the FBI, and they haven't looked back since... the only way they will ban cigarettes or tobacco is to have an excuse and crime wave to justify creating some super policing agency to combat it.

what happened to a free country... i'm so sick of people saying cigarettes killed my (blank), they didn't, your (blank) simply smoked too much. They aren't specially addictive, anything enjoyable is scientifically addictive, thats the way it is... I love the commercial where the guy gives the tobacco industry crap for comparing tobbacco to m&m's and everyone says 'oh wow' he's right, he's wrong, m&m's ARE comparable to cigarettes, show me the guy who has a nicotine addiction and smokes 3 packs a day for 20 years and then show me the guy who has a chocolate addicition and eats 3 monsterous bags of m&m's a day for 20 years... I'll put my money on the smoker living longer.

smokers aren't special, they are just another group of willfully unhealthy people enjoying life, get off their backs, governments shouldn't be doing stuff like this.

[nevadamedic]

Please don't change my quote again. Thanks!

I dont mean to, sometimes my computer jumps up the page when im typing ang I dont notice it at first.