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Tobacco Free Initiative

Myth 2: Exposure to tobacco smoke is not harmful to health

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  • Wrong!

More than 600 000 non-smokers worldwide die each year from exposure to second-hand smoke, mostly women and children.

Tobacco smoke is not just a nuisance to non-smokers, it harms them.

Tobacco smoke contains about 4000 chemicals, more than 50 of them known to cause cancer.

Evidence has proven that while smokers get sick or die prematurely from tobacco use, non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke also get sick or die unnecessarily from heart disease, respiratory diseases and cancer.

Featured publications

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  • Tobacco-free public spaces

Tobacco-free public places means that ALL indoor workplaces and indoor public places should be 100% smoke-free.

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Information resources

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Statistics and figures

By 2030 70% of tobacco-related deaths will be in developing countries

Tobacco use in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

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