Passive smoking kills
Smokefree workplaces save lives
5 July 2004
On Monday 5 July at 9am, Deputy Chairman of the BMA, Dr Sam Everington and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Science, Dr Peter Maguire, delivered 4,500 doctors' letters to the Prime Minister.
The letters were delivered to Downing Street in a giant cigarette packet. At the beginning of June 2004 the BMA had urged 1000 doctors to write a letter to the Prime Minister on this issue to represent the 1000 people who die every year from second-hand tobacco smoke. By the end of the month 4,500 letters were received.
In the UK approximately three million workers are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke and around 1.3 million workers are exposed to second-hand smoke at least 75% of the time. Workers in lower socio-economic groups run th greatest risk of exposure.
Last week's Annual Meeting of the BMA congratulated the government of the Irish Republic for the leadership it has shown by banning smoking in enclosed workplaces by legislation and called on the BMA to lobby government for the immediate introduction of equivalent legislation throughout the United Kingdom.