Smoke-free air policies need to be monitored: No level of exposure to second-hand smoke is safe

20 March 2012 WHO urges governments to protect the public from exposure to second-hand smoke by implementing 100% smoke-free air policies in all enclosed public places. This was a key recommendation of a report released today that measured levels of “second-hand smoke” in countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. In its call to action, WHO recommended that implementation of smoke-free laws in enclosed places be supported by monitoring compliance and providing guidelines for enforcement officials. The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean collaborated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Institute for Global Tobacco Control and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (United States) to conduct a pilot study measuring second-hand smoke particles in selected public places in the capital cities of 11 countries of the Region: Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Sudan and Yemen. Using a portable aerosol monitor device that analyses the concentration of suspended fine particles in air, the study measured concentrations of 2.5 micron sized particles in enclosed places. This size fraction included most of the tobacco smoke particles suspended in air. The types of venue sampled included health facilities, educational facilities, public offices, recreational venues (including restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues) and public transport vehicles. Out of 244 venues studied, active s...
Source: WHO EMRO - Press releases - Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news