UN Health Agency Urges Ban on Public Smoking

On World No-Tobacco Day traditionally marked on May 31 to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking, the U.N. sent out a message that "second-hand smoke kills" as it called for a ban on smoking in public places.

"We need to clear the air of second-hand smoke," said Gro Harlem Brundtland, the Director-General of the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO).

Explaining the agency's motivation in calling for a ban on smoking in public places, she said the proposal would offer "a comprehensive solution to keep the air clean and safe for all people, both smokers and nonsmokers."

"Beyond causing cancer and contributing to various lung and heart diseases," she said. "Second-hand smoke can cause asthma and other respiratory illnesses in children, and has been implicated in various other childhood diseases such as sudden infant death syndrome or middle-ear infections."

She said that WHO is overseeing the negotiation of a global tobacco control treaty, adding that the organization and its partners have a responsibility to ensure that the truth about second-hand smoke emerges loud and clear.

WHO's 191-Member States have begun negotiations on the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, (FCTC); the world’s first legally binding health treaty. The convention will provide global protection for countries and people against the enormous health and social costs of tobacco-related death and disease.

Expressing his strong support for WHO's initiatives, the President of the U.N. General Assembly, Harri Holkeri of Finland, called smoking "a public health hazard, not just a mere discomfort for nonsmokers."

"Second-hand smoke is one of the critical issues facing tobacco companies today," he said. "Fortunately, increased public knowledge about the hazards of second-hand smoke and smoking restrictions at workplaces have been seen to significantly lower both the consumption and, ultimately, the demand for tobacco products."

The date May 31 was designated as World No-Tobacco Day in 1989 by WHO's World Health Assembly with the aim of encouraging smokers to give up their risky habit and to raise public awareness about the health impact of tobacco.

(Xinhua 06/01/2001)