ASH press release

Embargo: 00:01 Thursday 16th August 2001

Passive smoking at work damages lungfunction - time to end government dithering on protection for workers

Non-smoking workers exposed to passive smoking at worksuffer up to 10 percent reduced lung function. A study of 300 employees in Glasgow showed that exposure at work wasmore likely to cause loss of lung function than exposure at home or in publicplaces.  [1] [View PDF].  Lung function is a measure of how much andhow quickly air can be forced in and out of the lungs.

Clive Bates, Director of ASH commented:

“There's nojustification for non-smokers suffering damage to their ability to breathewhile they are at work.    People have abasic right to work in a healthy environment and that means they shouldn't haveto work in a room full of smoke. 

“Thereare still about 3 million non-smokers who are continuously or frequentlyexposed to tobacco smoke at work, and employers cannot shirk the legalobligation to protect the health.

“This studyshould have employees that allow smoking around non-smokers consulting theirlawyers. Unless they have a good reason to allow it, they are almost certainlybreaking the law. [2]

This adds to the large volume ofevidence showing that second-hand smoke exposure also causes cancer, heartdisease, stroke and a variety of non-fatal illnesses - as well as being anirritant and distraction [3].    

ASH once again called on the government to advance thelong-delayed Approved Code of Practice on passive smoking at work. [4]  

“Thegovernment committed to improve conditions for non-smokers at work in its 1998tobacco policy but hasn't managed to do anything but argue, delay and fudge.Meanwhile people are getting sick and employers risking legal action.

“Givingpeople a right to clean air is part of Labour's public health policy, but assoon as the first businessman objected, they went soft on it.

[1] Environmental tobaccosmoke and lung function in employees who never smoked: the Scottish MONICAstudy Occupational and environmental medicine 2001; 58: 563-8 [View PDF]

[2] The Health and Safety at Work Act1974 Section 2(2)(e) places a specific duty on the employer in respect ofemployees:  "to provide andmaintain a safe working environment which is, so far as is reasonablypracticable, safe, without risks to health and adequate as regards facilitiesand arrangements for their welfare at work".  See ASH guide.

[3] See ASH passive smoking page:www.ash.org.uk/?passive

[4] See ASH workplace menu:www.ash.org.uk/?workplace

Contact Clive Bates: 020 7739 5902 (office) 0776879 1237 (mobile).