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Key
areas and groups
Passive
smoking
The
Facts World Health Organization Western Pacific Region
KEYS TO
PROTECTING YOUR HEALTH
Consciously avoid the smoke of others at
home, in public places including restaurants, stores and shopping malls and
in other enclosed environments such as cars, planes, trains and buses.
AT HOME
Make your home smoke free. If you have family
members who smoke ask them to smoke outside. If they insist on smoking,
increase the ventilation in the area where smoking takes place.
Do not smoke where there are children
present. They are particularly sensitive to the effects of passive smoking.
WHERE THERE ARE CHILDREN
Protect your children from smoke at school,
in the car or where anyone else is likely to be close to them. Schools and
other places of child care need policies that discourage smoking by all
associated with children.
AT WORK
Encourage a smoke-free workplace. The major
world health agencies have recommended that all places of business have a
smoke-free workplace policy. Encourage all employers and companies to
develop smoke-free policies in the workplace.
If you do establish separate
rooms for smokers the cost associated with adequate ventilation for the room
are likely to be greater than simply eliminating smoking entirely.
Non-smokers should not have to
use a smoking room for any purpose.
If your workplace does not
have a policy then adopt a strategy which will establish one.
Assess the situation that exists.
Think about where you might get the most support for introducing a
smoke-free policy. Become informed about the subject of passive smoking.
Make as much information as possible available about the effects of passive
smoking.
Find out who would be
responsible for introducing a smoke-free policy. Where smoke free workplace
programmes are introduced, the reduction of cigarette use among smokers is
around 30%.
If there are workers
meetings, place the subject on the agenda and ask the subject be studied. Do
not attack smokers! Discourage the sale of cigarettes anywhere on your work
premises.
IN RESTAURANTS AND HOTEL
Some communities have banned
smoking in restaurants though it varies in states or territories. If you are
dining out, always ask for the non-smoking section. Even if this does not
exist, ask that they consider making a section non-smoking just for you. If
this is not possible, ask to be seated as far as possible from smokers.
Actions such as these become easier when the number of smokers in the
society is decreasing. Encourage the owners of businesses to make them
smoke-free and use the places that do more frequently. Some of the largest
national fast food stores and departments stores have established smoke-free
policies.
OTHER INDOOR PLACES
If you frequently use public
facilities such as schools, airports, sports stadiums or other public
buildings that are not smoke-free, encourage community leaders to establish
new policies to encourage a smoke-free building or zone. Football stadiums
and other outdoor sporting venues are now becoming smoke-free.
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