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Agency
stresses that passive smoking is damaging to health
There
is no doubt that passive smoking poses a serious risk to
our health the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland
stressed today.
Dr Brian
Gaffney, Chief Executive of the Health Promotion Agency
spoke out following the publication of research in the
British Medical Journal questioning the health risks associated
with passive smoking (1):
“ Reliable evidence shows that passive smoking causes lung cancer and heart
disease. In addition, children are particularly susceptible to the effects of
passive smoking and are more likely to develop serious respiratory and ear infections
as a result. The statistics speak for themselves, every year in the UK at least
1,000 people die and 17,000 children are admitted to hospital with health problems
because of passive smoking.
“Once
again the public are receiving mixed messages and at the
Health Promotion Agency we would like to clarify that passive
smoking is indeed very damaging to health. The BMJ paper
is based on outdated, unreliable and according to the British
Medical Association, fundamentally flawed research.”
The Health
Promotion Agency continues to call for a ban on smoking
in public places to provide further protection from tobacco
smoke to non-smokers and children in Northern Ireland.
Research shows that most people, including smokers, would
welcome such a ban (2).
END
Notes
to editors:
- www.bmj.com 2003;
326: 1057-61
- Smoking-related
behaviour and attitudes, 2001. Office for National Statistics,
June 2002.
For
further information:
Contact
Jenny Dougan at the Health Promotion
Agency on 028 9031 1611.
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