UK
Passive smoking accounts for 30 deaths each day in the UK
By Royal College of Physicians
Mar 3, 2005, 17:30

The figures show that passive smoking accounts for 30 deaths each day in the UK, and causes the death of at least one employee in the hospitality industry each week.

New figures on the amount of people dying every week from passive smoking should finally persuade the Government to bring in a comprehensive policy to end smoking in all public places and workplaces. The figures were first calculated by Professor Konrad Jamrozik for the RCP's 2004 conference 'Environmental Tobacco Smoke and the Hospitality Industry', but have been refined and confirmed in a peer-reviewed journal article published on BMJ Online First today.

The Chair of the RCP's Tobacco Advisory Group, Professor John Britton, said:

"These figures show that the government can no longer ignore the plight of hospitality industry workers, who are vulnerable to the effects of passive smoking. People who work in pubs in particular suffer very high levels of exposure which pose a huge risk to their health. Tobacco smoke pollution is dangerous and people should not be dying as a result of working in the hospitality sector. The number of people dying of cigarette exposure at work is three times as many as die in industrial accidents."

"The proposed legislation on smoking in public places has a huge loophole in that it will allow smoking in pubs and clubs where no food is served - this loophole will cost lives. Nothing less than a total ban will ensure the safety of those in pubs and clubs that don't serve food - why should they be less protected than their colleagues working in pubs that do?"

This research is being launched on the same day that the Medical Royal Colleges are supporting Liverpool's private Bill. The College fully supports the Bill which would allow for a total ban on smoking in public places, a better solution than the proposed Government legislation.

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