Photographer : Mikel |
What is smoking?Smoking is the process of inhaling nicotine into the body. Most tobacco cigarettes contain ingredients in addition to tobacco that make it harmful to our health. Nicotine is an addictive chemical which is found in tobacco.
What is Second-hand smoke?Second-hand smoke is the combination of smoke released from a cigarette and the fumes exhaled by a smoker. Smokers do not consume all the harmful gases in a cigarette, but exhale them into the air around them.
Who does it affect? Smoking affects lots of different people. A 2004 study by the Australian Cancer Council found that nearly 19% of males and 17% of females smoke tobacco on a daily basis. The study also found that the majority of smokers are people aged 17–29. Manual and factory workers are also more likely to smoke than office workers and professionals.
Non-smokers are also affected by smoking. Research shows that people exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to develop coronary heart disease compared to people who have not been exposed.
Children in an environment where adults smoke are further at risk because their lungs are not fully developed. Being around cigarette fumes can also cause breathing and lung problems in later life.
Research shows that second-hand smoke and individual smoking can cause a wide-range of medical illnesses. These include heart disease, lung and nasal sinus, cancer and asthma.
What does the tobacco industry say about this?Historically, the tobacco industry has never denied that smoking causes bad health. And over the last few decades, with more reports and research being done into the effects of smoking, the industry has actually admitted that smoking can affect health. Many people argue that the tobacco industry’s primarily goal is to sell its products and that they willingly target young people in their campaigns.
What has the government done about this?Advertising campaignsState governments across Australia have released advertising campaigns targeted at parents to educate them about the risks of smoking in their homes and around their children. In New South Wales, the advertising slogan ‘the car and home: smoke-free zone’ was adopted. This promotion is part of a four-year state-wide project to protect young children from the dangers of second-hand smoke.
In March 2006, the Commonwealth Government introduced new regulations requiring printed graphic warnings on all tobacco products manufactured or imported into Australia. The images are of medical illnesses caused by smoking, including a diseased lung and a gangrene infected foot. A related print, TV and online advertising campaign was also launched. The hope is that these images will dissuade smokers and help those who are already addicted to nicotine stop.
LegislationGovernments in Australia have taken a number of steps to curb the promotion of smoking and have attempted to limit the effects of second-hand smoke in workplaces and public areas.
The regulation of smoking is primarily the responsibility of state and territory governments and all states and territories have introduced laws which ban smoking in enclosed public places like entertainment centres, shopping malls, colleges and universities.
New South Wales legislation will see smoking banned in enclosed areas of pubs and clubs by 2007. However, anti-smoking supporters have suggested there is a loophole in the legislation which some pubs and club owners are taking advantage of. They claim that some pubs and club areas are making outdoor areas ‘enclosed’ by erecting tarpaulins and movable walls, which will make smoking areas more appealing to smoking clients. They claim that these designated smoking areas are not ‘open’ to release second-hand smoke, but instead are very much enclosed, so the same health risks apply to workers and the public from second-hand smoke.
At a federal level, occupational health and safety legislation obligates employers to protect the health standards of its employees and others who are at the workplace. Smoking is banned from workplace areas according to these laws.
Commonwealth and state and territory legislation also prohibits most forms of tobacco advertising and sponsorship.
How do I know this?ABC Radio Australia,
Australian state to ban smoking in pubs and clubs by 2007,
http://www.abc.net.au/ra/news/stories/s1260401.htm American Lung Association
http://www.lungusa.org/ Australian Council on Smoking and Health,
http://www.acosh.orgAustralian Government Department of Health and Ageing,
http://www.health.gov.au Cancer Council of New South Wales,
http://www.cancercouncil.com.au/default.aspOxyGen,
http://www.oxygen.org.au
