ONLY 100% SMOKE-FREE ENVIRONMENTS CAN ADEQUATELY PROTECT FROM DANGERS OF SECOND-HAND SMOKE

ArmInfo
2007-05-31 19:32:00

There is no safe level of human exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke,
and only 100% smoke-free environments can adequately protect from
dangers of second-hand smoke, UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Consuelo
Vidal said at a press conference dedicated to the World No Tobacco Day.

"There is no doubt: breathing second-hand tobacco smoke (SHS) is very
dangerous to our health. It causes cancer, as well as many serious
respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in children and adults,
often leading to premature death," she emphasized. Tobacco is the
second major cause of death in the world. It is well known that half
the people who smoke regularly today – about 650 mln people – will
eventually be killed by tobacco, C.Vidal said. Equally alarming is the
fact that hundreds of thousands of people who have never smoked die
each year from diseases caused by breathing second-hand tobacco smoke.

According to the World Health Organization, half the children of
the world -about 700 mln – breath tobacco smoke, she added. The SHS
consequences result in not only expenses on medical treatment, but
also economic losses for enterprises. It also decreases the working
efficiency, C.Vidal pointed out.

The UN Resident Coordinator also congratulated Armenia on the
adoption of a law on prohibition of smoking and expressed hope that
its implementation will contribute to saving human lives.
From: Baghdasarian