Over time passive smoking obstructs or narrows the small airways in the lungs and destroys the air sacs. It clogs arteries and causes blood clots.
A non-smoker who lives with a smoker may be exposed to about 1% of their tobacco smoke from passive smoking. This can increase their chances of developing lung cancer or dying from a heart attack. The same applies to people who work in a smoky atmosphere like workplaces, pubs and restaurants.
(http://www.wessexscene.co.uk)
There are many reasons for banning smoking in public places.
Some are:
- Only one quarter of population smoke.
- Health risk to unborn babies.
- It is wrong to pollute someone’s air.
- 70% of smokers actually wish to give up altogether. The banning in public places may help them to smoke less.
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Smoking is highest among those aged 20-24: 38% of men and 34% women in this age group smoke. Among older age groups prevalence gradually declines with the lowest smoking rate among people aged 60 and over: 15% smoke in this age group. This reflects the fact that many former smokers will have stopped in middle age and around one quarter of smokers die before reaching retirement age. By banning smoking in public places, this may encourage people to stop smoking.
- Very large numbers of smokers (90% agreed smoking should be restricted in certain places).This is from a bar chart extracted from the British Heart Foundation Statistics Database.
- The reason passive smoking is such a danger to children is that they are more sensitive to smoke because their bodies are still developing. More then 17,000 under fives in the U.K experience the harm of passive smoking each year as they are admitted to hospital with illness caused by their parents smoking.(www.canstopsmoking.com)
- They found 2,700 deaths among people aged 20 to 64 could be attributed to second-hand smoke and 8,000 in 65-year-olds and over. A further 617 deaths were caused by workplace passive smoking, including 54 in the hospitality industry. (Researchers at University of Queensland in Australia)
This table shows the amount of cigarettes used over a period of time by men and women
- About 12 million adults in the UK smoke cigarettes - 27% of men and 25% of women. In 1974, 51% of men and 41% of women smoked cigarettes - nearly half the adult population of the UK. Thirty years on ,the figure is now 23%.Therefore the majority of population are non smokers.So it is good thing to make smoking banned in public places.
- Further research has shown that people underestimate the health risks of smoking and the effects of passive smoking.
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It is estimated that several hundred cases of lung cancer and several thousand cases of heart disease in non-smokers in the UK are caused by passive smoking - breathing other people's tobacco smoke.
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Over one million people have stopped smoking for good as a result of No Smoking Day since the first Day in 1984 .
- No Smoking Day has a history of success with smokers and not just for one day.
CONCLUSION
Therefore, there is so much evidence to support the fact that there is much harm done to the health of non-smokers.
Smoke_free legislation has caused a drop in smoking by 4%, where research was carried out. The government has estimated that the smoking ban in England will reduce smoking by 1.7%. This does not seem much but will actually result in over half a million fewer smokers.
By mid-2007, smoking is expected to be banned by law in most workplaces and public places across the U.K.
Sourses used are:
www.canstopsmoking.com
Researchers at University of Queensland in Australia
http://www.wessexscene.co.uk
By
Shazia Hameed
