Tobacco use is a global problem that all governments have a moral duty to address and the way forward is to have 100 per cent smoke free environments, according to Anne Buttigieg, Tobacco Coordinator at the Health Promotion Department.

This was the only proven way to adequately protect people’s health from the effects of second hand smoke, she added, addressing a news conference on World No Tobacco Day, marked yesterday.

In the European Union it was reported that there were 79,000 deaths due to indirect smoking in one year.

Second-hand smoke, indirect smoking, passive smoking or environmental tobacco smoke all refer to the smoke that individuals breathe when they are located in the same air space as smokers. The smoke from tobacco products contain over 4,000 chemicals in the form of particles and gases, and more than 40 of them can cause cancer.

Another danger of second-hand smoke is that particles from smoke in the air are smaller than in smoke drawn directly from a cigarette so they penetrate deeper into the lungs, Ms Buttigieg said. Just as there is the tendency in young children to imitate adult behaviour, parents should be a good role model and give up tobacco if they are smokers.

In a European Union report about attitudes towards tobacco, published in 2007 both positive and negative outcomes resulted. The positive aspect that was reported was that four out of five Europeans believed that passive smoking could cause health problems.

The need for the Maltese population to adopt a non-smoking policy within the home and car environment was still high. This was because 23 per cent of non-smokers were exposed to tobacco smoke in the home while 16 per cent of children were exposed to tobacco in a car environment.

“One of the ways to get a message through is by educating both parents and citizens. We are all obliged and need to prevent any harmful exposure by protecting children’s health that in the end represent the future of our society. This is one of the reasons why the Health Promotion Department is focusing on promoting smoke free cars and smoke free homes. As the HPD is seriously concerned about the impact of second hand smoke on non-smokers it has produced promotional material specifically designed to address this issue,” Ms Buttigieg said.