The World Health Organization (WHO) is pleased to see Shanghai taking another step towards making indoor public places in the city smoke-free – with indoor smoking prohibited in all train stations from this week, and indoor smoking to be banned inside airport terminals from 30 October 2016. Indoor smoking rooms will be shut down in both types of venues when the bans take effect.
“WHO is pleased with the move to make public transport hubs 100% smoke-free in Shanghai. The smoking ban in these venues will help to protect the health of Shanghai residents and tourists, by preventing exposure to deadly second-hand smoke every time they are passing through these transport and transit hubs,” said Dr Bernhard Schwartländer, WHO Representative in China.
“This is an important step in Shanghai’s journey to becoming a smoke-free city. I am particularly pleased to see that indoor smoking rooms will be removed from airports and train stations – this sets a hugely important precedent for the discussions currently taking place in Shanghai over a city-wide smoke-free law.” Dr Schwartländer said.
The Shanghai Government is currently considering the adoption of the Shanghai Regulations on Control of Smoking in Public Places, which would make all indoor public places and workplaces in the city 100% smoke-free.
“Making train stations and airports smoke-free is a great step in the right direction. However, only when all indoor public places and workplaces are 100% smoke-free will Shanghai’s more than 20 million residents and its millions of visitors be properly protected from the toxic harms of second-hand smoke,” Dr Schwartländer said.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) – the global tobacco control treaty which China ratified in 2005 – requires all indoor public places to be 100% smoke-free. This is because exposure to second-hand smoke kills – and there is no safe level of exposure. Governments, including in cities like Shanghai, have an obligation to protect non-smokers from toxic, carcinogenic second-hand smoke.
“Everyone has the right to breathe fresh air. Involuntary exposure to second-hand smoke is a fundamental violation of that right – and it is simply unacceptable. Making train stations and airports smoke-free – including by removing all indoor smoking rooms – is a step in the right direction. Indoor smoking rooms simply do not work – they do not completely eliminate second-hand smoke, and innocent bystanders, such as cleaning and maintenance staff, are still exposed,” Dr Schwartländer said.
As Shanghai gears up to host the WHO 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion next month, the eyes of global health leaders will be on the city and its practices in promoting public health.
“A comprehensive 100% smoke-free law will without doubt firmly place Shanghai on the global stage as a champion and leader in tobacco control. We very much hope to see Shanghai adopt such a law ahead of the Global Conference on Health Promotion – the world will be watching,” Dr Schwartländer concluded.
About the World Health Organization (WHO): WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.