Bar worker's smoke complaint settled as new studies warn on asthma and lung cancer

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A bar worker’s controversial dismissal over his secondhand smoke complaint has been settled by the Moama Bowling Club - at the same time that new research has warned that exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of lung cancer and adult onset asthma.

In a confidential out-of-court settlement, the NSW club settled with its former barman of 12 years Steve Kane, who had been sacked after wearing a respirator to work after the club reversed its smoke ban.

The Club is still facing continuing action over its smoking policy as WorkCover NSW, using powers under OHS law, has given the club until 14^th January to re-introduce its no-smoking policy to protect the staff from exposure to carcinogens in tobacco smoke. 

Meanwhile, two new studies published this month warn that:

• People exposed to second-hand smoke are 13% to 32% more likely to develop lung cancer than unexposed individuals. *

• both cumulative lifetime and recent exposures to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) increases the risk of adult-onset asthma. **

The Finnish study on asthma examined all 21- to 63-year-old adults with new cases of asthma diagnosed during a 2.5-year period (n = 521 case patients, out of 441 000 inhabitants) and a random sample of control subjects from the source population (932 control subjects) participated in a population-based incident case-control study.

“Smoky pubs and clubs are breeding grounds for asthma and lung diseases”, says Dr Matthew Peters, a thoracic physician in Sydney and Chairman of ASH Australia.

“Asthma is a national health priority and its no longer good enough to just treat patients when governments could prevent harm by ensuring all pubs and clubs are smokefree.”

Health groups and unions are calling upon Australian governments to catch up with other countries, including New Zealand and Ireland, who have introduced smokefree public places legislation for total smoke bans in all pubs and clubs from 2004.

* See International Journal of Cancer, 10/12/03 

** Maritta S. et al,   "Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Adult-Onset Asthma: A Population-Based Incident Case-Control Study ", December 2003, Vol 93, No. 12 | American Journal of Public Health 2055-2060 

Comment:         Dr Matthew Peters, ASH Chairman    m. 0407-499-440

             Anne Jones, ASH CEO    tel. (02) 93341876 / m. 0417-227-879

Page last updated on 7/1/04