On World No Tobacco Day, UN Calls for Stamping Out Smoking in Workplace

New York, May 31 2007 5:00PM

As World No Tobacco Day is celebrated today, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) called for stamping out smoking in the workplace to protect people from second-hand fumes.

Tobacco is the second major cause of death worldwide, and it will kill half of the 650 million people who smoke regularly, the agency said. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of people who have never smoked die yearly from diseased caused by second-hand tobacco smoke.

The theme of this year’s Day is “Smoke-free inside: Create and enjoy 100% smoke-free environments.”

According to WHO, “neither ventilation nor filtration, alone or in combination, can reduce exposure levels of tobacco smoke indoors to levels that are considered acceptable, even in terms of odour, much less health effects.”

The agency debunked myths pertaining to second-hand smoke, stressing that it kills and can also cause serious illnesses.

“The right to clean air, free from tobacco smoke, is a human right,” the agency declared, underscoring how the majority of the world’s population – who are non-smokers – have the right to not be exposed to others’ smoke.

WHO also pointed out that smoke-free environments help prevent people, including the young, from picking up the habit.

World No Tobacco Day is being celebrated across the globe through events ranging from talks to art contests to film presentations.

In Nantes, a city in western France, approximately 500 staff members of a hospital – including doctors, nurses and technicians – participated in a football tournament and will commit to not smoking during the work day and to help patients to kick the habit for good.

To commemorate the Day in Mingora, Pakistan, lecturers, teachers, journalists, lawyers, traders, doctors, 200 college and school students rallied to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking.

Meanwhile in Thailand, health professionals and volunteers held a running and jogging event to alert the public to the impact of tobacco on health.

ENDS