COUNTRIES ADOPT GUIDELINES FOR SMOKE-FREE ENVIRONMENTSSecond-hand smoke – a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease – was the focus at the recent conference of the parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Meeting in early July in Bangkok, the 146 countries that are parties to the convention unanimously adopted guidelines that governments can apply to protect their people from the ravages of second-hand smoke. The parties adopted the guidelines in recognition of the indisputable scientific evidence linking second-hand smoke to cardiovascular disease, among other leading tobacco-related causes of incapacity and premature death. Countries also combat illicit tradeThe parties also agreed to launch expedited negotiations for a binding protocol to combat illicit trade in tobacco products and to develop guidelines on the packaging and labelling of tobacco products and on their advertising, promotion and sponsorship. But it was the guidelines against second-hand smoke that most interested the World Heart Federation because of the proven connection to cardiovascular disease. During 2006, tobacco smoke was a factor in approximately one-third of the 17.5 million deaths from cardiovascular disease, according to the World Health Organization. Positive reactionThe World Heart Federation congratulated the parties and recommended that governments act immediately to put them into force. “The World Heart Federation applauds the parties for their historic strengthening of the international framework against tobacco,” said World Heart Federation President Shahryar Sheikh. “Governments should take immediate advantage of the guidelines by passing and implementing laws that would protect people from other people’s smoking. To delay would only lead to millions more avoidable deaths.” The Global Smokefree Partnership and the Framework Convention Alliance for Tobacco Control – organizations of which the World Heart Federation is a member – praised the Bangkok conference’s “extraordinary unanimity”. They predicted that the adoption of the guidelines would create “irreversible” momentum toward a smoke-free world. The guidelines essentially call upon governments to ban smoking in all public places and workplaces. Several governments have already enacted such bans, including Iran, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Uruguay. All told, approximately 240 million of the world’s 6 billion people are protected by 100% smoke-free laws, according to the Global Smokefree Partnership. “Sound science proves there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke,” said Douglas Bettcher, who heads the World Health Organization’s Tobacco Free Initiative. “We are working harder than ever with governments, civil society and other public health experts to denormalize tobacco, and smoke-free environments are one of the key measures to bring about this major shift in social norms to save millions of lives in coming decades.” The protocol to combat the illicit trade in tobacco products is necessary to keep smugglers from avoiding the taxes that some governments use to discourage tobacco use. Each year, governments lose more than US$40 billion in unpaid taxes to the illegal tobacco trade. To learn more about the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control visit the World Health Organization web site. Read the World Heart Federation’s fact sheet about the dangers of tobacco smoke. | |||||||
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