Media release: May 5, 2008
Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke in bars
for as little as 30 minutes can damage blood vessels and stem cells, says new
research .
In
the wake of the study*, employee and health groups are urging Australian
governments to tighten smokefree workplace laws to remove loopholes which leave
thousands of Australian workers dangerously exposed to secondhand smoke.
The
University of California, San Francisco study in the Journal of the American
College of Cardiology found
that a 30-minute exposure to a normal level of secondhand smoke in a US bar was
enough to cause blood vessel injury in young and otherwise healthy lifelong
nonsmokers.
Short-term
exposure also impedes the function of the body’s natural repair mechanisms,
said the researchers, who concluded that brief
exposure to real-world levels of passive smoke have strong and persistent
consequences on the body’s vascular system.
Commenting on the findings,
SmokeFree Australia co-ordinator Stafford Sanders said:
“These are crucial findings
with great relevance to occupational health and safety in Australia.
“We have not removed smoking
from even totally enclosed Australia workplaces. Such conditions are widespread
in the Northern Territory; they exist in many non-public workplaces in NSW; and
in exempted gaming rooms in several jurisdictions.
“We also know from other
research that very significant and harmful exposure can occur in partly-enclosed
smoking areas, depending on frequency and proximity of exposure. Such areas are
widespread in NSW, Victoria, SA, WA and the ACT.
Workers at risk include bar and gaming workers, entertainers, cleaners
and maintenance technicians, and more.
“There’s only one way to
make all these workplaces safe: remove smoking from all working areas. It should
be spelled out in legislation that no-one is required to work in any area where
smoking is permitted, whatever the degree of enclosure.
“We urge all governments to
take this action, and for the Federal Government to co-ordinate efforts to
finish this job.
“There is no excuse in 2008
for continuing to allow this travesty of OH&S rights.”
*
study abstract at http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/abstract/51/18/1760
Comment:
Stafford Sanders, SmokeFree Australia
ph. (02) 9334-1823
m. 0412-070-194
* SmokeFree Australia coalition
for clean safe workplaces:
Liquor,
Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers’ Union; Musicians’ Union of Australia; Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance; Australian Council of
Trade Unions; Action on Smoking and Health Australia; The Cancer Council
Australia; National Heart Foundation of Australia; Australian Council on Smoking
and Health; Non-Smokers’ Movement of Australia; Australian Medical
Association; Asthma and Allergy Research Institute.