Agency stresses that passive smoking is damaging to health

There is no doubt that passive smoking poses a serious risk to our health the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland stressed today.

Dr Brian Gaffney, Chief Executive of the Health Promotion Agency spoke out following the publication of research in the British Medical Journal questioning the health risks associated with passive smoking (1):
“ Reliable evidence shows that passive smoking causes lung cancer and heart disease. In addition, children are particularly susceptible to the effects of passive smoking and are more likely to develop serious respiratory and ear infections as a result. The statistics speak for themselves, every year in the UK at least 1,000 people die and 17,000 children are admitted to hospital with health problems because of passive smoking.

“Once again the public are receiving mixed messages and at the Health Promotion Agency we would like to clarify that passive smoking is indeed very damaging to health. The BMJ paper is based on outdated, unreliable and according to the British Medical Association, fundamentally flawed research.”

The Health Promotion Agency continues to call for a ban on smoking in public places to provide further protection from tobacco smoke to non-smokers and children in Northern Ireland. Research shows that most people, including smokers, would welcome such a ban (2).

END

Notes to editors:

1. www.bmj.com 2003; 326: 1057-61
2. Smoking-related behaviour and attitudes, 2001. Office for National Statistics, June 2002.

For further information:

Contact Jenny Dougan at the Health Promotion Agency on 028 9031 1611.