India is to ban smoking in public places from October 2

September 29, 2008 | Filed under: Featured,Health | Posted by:

BOBBY RAMAKANT writes: India is to ban smoking in public places nation-wide from October 2. It is surprising that India’s smoke-free policies were no appreciating by some people. Stand of such people who were moving with some vested interests is always unwanted and unwelcome stand contrary to the efforts being made by the Indian government for the improvement of health of common people.

“Second-hand smoke, also know as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. It is involuntarily inhaled by non-smokers, lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma” informs Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, who heads the Tobacco Cessation Clinics at CSM Medical University and Gandhi Memorial & Associated Hospitals.

“Second-hand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen)” informs Dr Rishi Sethi, Department of Cardiology, CSM Medical University.

Second-hand smoke exposure causes disease and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke. Second-hand smoke contains hundreds of chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic, including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic ammonia and hydrogen cyanide. Second-hand smoke causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 22,700-69,600 heart disease deaths in adult non-smokers in the United States each year, further adds Dr Sethi. 

Non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke at work are at increased risk for adverse health effects.

There is enough data to de-bunk the apprehensions of ban on smoking at the workplace. Since 1999, 70 percent of the U.S. workforce worked under a smoke-free policy, ranging from 83.9 percent in Utah to 48.7 percent in Nevada. Workplace productivity was increased and absenteeism was decreased among former smokers compared with current smokers.

Second-hand smoke is especially harmful to young children. Second-hand smoke is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year, and causes 430 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) deaths in the United States annually, says Dr Sethi.

Second-hand smoke exposure may cause build-up of fluid in the middle ear, resulting in 790,000 physician office visits per year.10  Second-hand smoke can also aggravate symptoms in 400,000 to 1,000,000 children with asthma.11

The Surgeon General’s Report concluded that scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke.  

The 3rd edition of the “Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008: Protecting Against Tobacco Industry Interference” was released earlier this week in many countries including India. The Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 is produced by Corporate Accountability International [which is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO)], along with the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT).

“The repeated delay, at times weakening, and postponing the implementation of public health policies in India, particularly the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, mustn’t occur again. With few days to go before India enforces ban on smoking in public places from 2 October 2008, and few more weeks to go before mandatory pictorial warnings on tobacco products from 30 November 2008 get enforced, it is high time to prepare ourselves to contribute effectively in the implementation of these health policies” said Dr Sandeep Pandey, national convener of National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) and Magsaysay Awardee (2002).

“For years the tobacco industry has operated with the express intention of subverting public health policies. If the tobacco giants were truly serious about saving lives, they would back off and let governments swiftly, fully implement the public health policies, including the national health policies and also the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) – the first global corporate accountability and public health treaty” added Dr Pandey.Let us hope that good sense prevails and public health and welfare is upheld above corporate interests.

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  • Zahid

    HI,
    From a common mans’ point of view, as I am one, I feel the people at the higher level who want to implement this ban on smoking should rather consider this.
    They do not want to loose the revenues they earn from those tobacco units, they want people not to smoke.
    Well, first this will increase the smoking at home, which will cause more serious children and female health problem who are at home.
    Not allowing to smoke at public places is never going to solve the problem. Better banning selling and manufacturing(import/export) would be the only solution to this, but Govt will never want that.
    If they stop thinking about their vote bank, by banning smoking, let me make it more clear it will increase health hazards as i have mentioned it before.
    If these people really are worried about the health of so called poeple, who are nothing more thana vote for them, then they should take better steps. there are hundres more things to do that banning smoking in public places. What do you feel people will gice up smoking ?
    Never. Just for those non- smokers it will be a relief that they do not ahve to see those smokey hallways, bus stops , etc, but back at home if any one member of the family smoke, it will make no difference how smoke free the air was the whole day.
    I am asking you the same question. Consider any member of your family smokes, or you do, will it make any difference to them?

  • rajesh

    dear sir,
    this incomplete ban is increasing public problem. People who smokes in there offices pub are now smoking on roads or infront of house shops temple school rather to say in crowd this are affecting life more of middle and lower class people. Either govt. has not defined public places properly or no police shells are particularly engaged in this plan. no toll free no. to ask for help . God better knows what government wants.And no policies has yet been adopted against tobacco gutka.Public place tobaco factories are also not banned.

  • kalyan

    Ban of smoking in companies does not work…why does govt want to interfere if the company has it’s own smoking zones with all the reqiured specifications ?? smoking spoils health agreed .. however people want to smoke .. so why does the govt interfere ??
    The govt should interfere only if it is causing problem for others .. Tell me honestly when an employee smokes in the office premisis in the specified “Smoking Zone” , why will a non-smoker have to visit it and later accuse him of making him passive smoker.
    BOSS!!!!!!!!!!!! WHEN GOVT IS NOT SENSIBLE , THEN PEOPLE WOULD COME TO THE ROADS TO SMOKE AND GOVT COULD DO NOTHING TO STOP THEM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOVT WAKE UP AND REMOVE THE BAN FROM COMPANIES IF THEY HAVE PROPER SMOKING ZONES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!