Smoking ban campaigners in one last push

Monday, 5 September 2005 12:00 AM

Ministers are today being urged to "be brave" and ban smoking from all workplaces, as the public consultation on legislation proposing a partial ban closes.

The last efforts to persuade the government to ditch plans to exempt pubs serving food come as the Department of Health launches a new £5 million campaign warning of the hazards of second-hand smoking.

"It is clear that both smokers and non-smokers don't appreciate the full dangers of second-hand smoke," said public health minister Caroline Flint.

"Tobacco smoke contains about 4,000 different chemicals, including more than 50 known cancer-causing substances, such as arsenic, formaldehyde and ammonia. By ignoring these facts and smoking around others they are putting them at serious risk of increased disease.

"This campaign is designed to show that it's often the places we feel safest that put us at the greatest risk, such as relaxing at home in front of the television."

However, the British Medical Association (BMA) today asked how the government could warn the public about the dangers of passive smoking while backing only a partial ban on smoking in the workplace.

The BMA's head of science, Dr Vivienne Nathanson, today joined other campaigners in urging the government to drop the exemption on the grounds that it would not be effective.

"If the government is aware of the hazards, how can it defend only a partial ban on smoking in public places - exposing many workers to toxic chemicals just because they're unlucky enough to work in pubs and bars not selling food?," she asked.

A study by Cancer Research UK suggests many pubs would stop serving food in order to avoid the smoking ban, a trend that could see the proportion of exempt pubs in England and Wales rise by a third from 29 per cent to 40 per cent.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber added his voice to the appeal for ministers to "be brave" and seize what he called a historic opportunity to ban smoking in all workplaces, including all pubs and clubs, by April 2006.

The organisation rejects claims that a total ban would harm businesses by putting people off going to pubs where they could not smoke, citing strong public support (more than three-quarters) in favour of a such a move.

"The public wants a ban, the health arguments are overwhelming and all that is holding government back seems to be a reluctance to say no to business lobbying or risk being called nannies," said Mr Barber.

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