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16/11/2011
Doctors Call For Ban On Smoking In Cars
The British Medical Association is calling for a total ban on smoking in cars, saying there is "compelling" medical evidence and asking the Government to take a "bold" and "courageous" step.
The call comes after a BMA board of science briefing paper published evidence indicating second-hand smoke in vehicles presented a serious health hazard, with toxin levels reaching more than 23 times those of smoky bars.
The paper estimated 4,000 adults and 23 children die each year as a result of second-hand smoke in the UK, with global figures running into the hundreds of thousands.
BMA director of professional activities Vivienne Nathanson said the UK made a huge step forward in the fight against tobacco by banning smoking in all enclosed public places, but more can still be done.
"We are calling on UK governments to take the bold and courageous step of banning smoking in private vehicles. The evidence for extending the smoke-free legislation is compelling."
The Smoking in Vehicles briefing paper says children are particularly vulnerable to second-hand smoke, as they absorb more pollutants because of their size and have underdeveloped immune systems.
BMA public health medicine committee co-chair Keith Reid said the state had a responsibility to intervene to protect children, and a ban on smoking in motor vehicles would reinforce the message that children are harmed through others’ smoking.
"The evidence suggests that the most feasible way to accomplish this is to implement a complete ban on smoking in motor vehicles," he said.
A second parliamentary reading of Stockton North Labour MP Alex Cunningham’s private members bill is scheduled for this week. It calls for a ban on smoking in private vehicles where there are children present.
However, a report by a cross-party group of MPs and peers said they were more likely to consider "non-legislative options".
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health said calling for an immediate ban could be "counterproductive" as consensus needed to be built across society before taking such as step.
(DW)
The call comes after a BMA board of science briefing paper published evidence indicating second-hand smoke in vehicles presented a serious health hazard, with toxin levels reaching more than 23 times those of smoky bars.
The paper estimated 4,000 adults and 23 children die each year as a result of second-hand smoke in the UK, with global figures running into the hundreds of thousands.
BMA director of professional activities Vivienne Nathanson said the UK made a huge step forward in the fight against tobacco by banning smoking in all enclosed public places, but more can still be done.
"We are calling on UK governments to take the bold and courageous step of banning smoking in private vehicles. The evidence for extending the smoke-free legislation is compelling."
The Smoking in Vehicles briefing paper says children are particularly vulnerable to second-hand smoke, as they absorb more pollutants because of their size and have underdeveloped immune systems.
BMA public health medicine committee co-chair Keith Reid said the state had a responsibility to intervene to protect children, and a ban on smoking in motor vehicles would reinforce the message that children are harmed through others’ smoking.
"The evidence suggests that the most feasible way to accomplish this is to implement a complete ban on smoking in motor vehicles," he said.
A second parliamentary reading of Stockton North Labour MP Alex Cunningham’s private members bill is scheduled for this week. It calls for a ban on smoking in private vehicles where there are children present.
However, a report by a cross-party group of MPs and peers said they were more likely to consider "non-legislative options".
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health said calling for an immediate ban could be "counterproductive" as consensus needed to be built across society before taking such as step.
(DW)
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