Malta is among the highest-ranking countries of regular smokers – at least 76 per cent of the population, along with 90 per cent of Portuguese, 91 per cent of Greeks and 92 per cent of Hungarians.
According to a Eurobarometer study published in January this year, countries with high scores for people who never smoked were Portugal (58 per cent) and Cyprus (56 per cent).
However, at least 38 per cent of Danes and 40 per cent of the Dutch said have already smoked at least once in their lifetime.
In almost all the Member States, European Union citizens said they are in favour of banning smoking in restaurants.
Around 93 per cent of Maltese said they are in favour, followed by 93 per cent of Irish and 91 per cent of Slovenia’s citizens.
In the majority of Member States, more than half of the respondents in favour of such a ban on smoking.
However, the Czech Republic was the only country where 50 per cent of citizens said they were opposed to a ban on smoking on restaurants.
All member states seemed to agree that smoking should be banned in offices and other indoor workplaces.
The large majority of Maltese respondents (84 per cent) said they were totally in favour of a smoking ban in offices and other indoor workplaces. Finland followed closely with 86 per cent, and Sweden with 90 per cent of respondents.
A slightly lower number of Maltese (79 per cent) said they were in favour of a smoking ban in all public places. At least 85 per cent of Swedish citizens and 83 per cent of Finnish citizens said they were in favour.
At least 64 per cent of Maltese said they were bothered by exposure to tobacco smoke, followed by Cyprus, Italy and Slovakia (54 per cent).
In the Baltic countries and Poland (68 per cent), more than two-thirds of the people interviewed mentioned the unpleasant aspects of tobacco smoke to explain why they object to it.
However, 55 per cent of the Maltese said that the physical symptoms were the main reason why they objected to passive smoking.
In two-thirds of the Member States, a majority of respondents declare that they ask smokers not to smoke in their presence.
Sixty-six per cent of Maltese people along with 70 per cent of Turkish respondents and 61 per cent of Italians said they ask smokers not to smoke.
However, the majority of citizens in Ireland (64 per cent), Finland (58 per cent) and the United Kingdom (56 per cent) said they never made such a request.
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Smoking cessation clinics saved Lm3,245 on lung cancer treatment
Investment in smoking cessation clinics should be maximised to the benefit of the health and economy, a medical study concluded.
According to a study carried out by senior medical officer Mario Sammut, group behaviour therapy programmes and nicotine replacement therapy are two of the most successful methods of smoking cessation.
The study was published in the May 2003 issue of the Malta Medical Journal and is titled Are Stop Smoking Services Successful?
Smoking cessation clinics were organised by the Health Promotion Department in primary health centres on a regular basis since 1991.
According to the study, at least up to Lm3,245 worth of lung cancer treatment was saved during the first year of the diagnosed disease – more than five times the clinics running costs over one year.
Mr Sammut suggested organising the clinics on a more frequent basis with follow-up support meetings.
The study also recommended introducing an ongoing quantitative and qualitative evaluation system, and the full support and funding of smoking cessation and other tobacco control services.
There were 246 applicants who applied for the 13 smoking cessation clinics organised by the Health Promotion Department during one year starting in October 1999, the study said.
Of these, only 134 presented themselves for the introductory session and the number further decreased to 101 for the second session.
A total of 27 people completed the cessation classes successfully. However, the six-month success rate dropped to 10. Of these, seven were men and three were females
Anne Buttigieg is the tobacco coordinator at the Health Promotion Department and runs smoking cessation classes.
“Most people expect to stop smoking from one day to another but they don’t understand that it takes time and willpower,” she explained.
During the cessation classes Mrs Buttigieg speaks about the health benefits and the different methods of quitting.
“Nicotine replacement patches work only when they are used properly. However, you’ll find many people who try them but say they do not work because they have no idea how to use them.”
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Timeline on smoking and tobacco
1951: Dr Richard Doll and Prof Austin Bradford Hill conduct first large-scale study of link between smoking and lung cancer.
1954: Dr Doll and his team publish a paper confirming the link.
1957: British Medical Research Council announces “a direct causal connection” between smoking and lung cancer.
1962: Royal College of Physicians report concludes that smoking is a cause of lung cancer and bronchitis, and probably contributes to coronary heart disease. It recommends tougher laws on cigarette sales and advertising, and smoking in public places.
1971: Government health warnings to be carried on all cigarette packets sold in the UK, following an agreement between the government and the tobacco industry.
1974: Tar tables upgraded, dividing cigarettes into five categories of tar content.
1976: Prof Sir Richard Doll and Richard Peto publish results of 20-year study of smokers, and conclude that one in three dies from the habit.
1983: Latest Royal College of Physicians report features passive smoking for the first time. It also asserts that more than 100,000 people die every year in the UK from smoking-related illness.
1986: New advertising and promotion guidelines agreed, including banning tobacco advertising in cinemas and a range of new health warnings.
1988: Independent Scientific Committee on Smoking and Health report concludes that non-smokers have a 10 to 30 per cent higher risk of developing lung cancer if exposed to other people’s smoke.
June 1988: A US court awards damages against a tobacco firm to the family of a woman who died of lung cancer.
1989: A UK court rules that injury caused by passive smoking can be an industrial accident.
1996: A lung-cancer sufferer awarded $500,000 against a US tobacco company after a jury ruled that the manufacturer had shown negligence in not alerting smokers to the hazards of smoking.
1997: US tobacco firms agree a multi-billion-dollar settlement to cover healthcare costs incurred by treating people with smoking-related illnesses in return for halting multi-action lawsuits and limiting claims for individuals.
March 1998: UK Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health says passive smoking is a cause of lung cancer and heart disease in adults.
February 1999: Court in California orders Philip Morris to pay $50million in damages to a smoker with lung cancer. Award later halved.
March 2000: Another award against Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds becomes a landmark because the plaintiff had begun smoking after health warnings had started appearing on cigarette packets.
2001: New EU directive requires larger, more prominent health warnings on tobacco packaging.
December 2002: British Medical Association calls for a ban in smoking in public places because of the threat to non-smokers.
2003: Cancer Research UK advertising campaign, funded by the Department of Health, targets smokers of mild brands, warning that they could be just as dangerous.
January 2004: British Heart Foundation uses graphic images to reinforce its government-sponsored anti-smoking campaign.
March 2004: The Irish Republic introduces the toughest anti-smoking laws in Europe with a complete ban in workplaces. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern described it as “landmark legislation”.
November 2004: A Public Health White Paper proposes introducing a smoking ban in workplaces by 2008, with pubs which do not serve food and private members clubs exempted. The legislation would apply to England and Wales, but the Welsh Assembly has said it would amend the bill to create a comprehensive ban when it gains Royal Assent in England.
March 2005: A British Medical Journal report produces the most authoritative data yet on the impact of passive smoking. Researchers claimed it killed 11,000 a year in the UK.* * *
More than 4,000 chemicals can be found in cigarette smoke, some of which are very familiar. Here’s just a few:
Ammonia – found in toilet cleaners.
Acetone – found in nail varnish remover.
Cadmium – a highly poisonous metal used in batteries.
Vinyl chloride – used to make PVC.
Napthtalene – used in moth balls.
Carbon monoxide – lethal gas in car exhaust fumes. CO is a poisonous gas that is produced when things burn and is commonly given off by exhausts and gas fires as well as cigarette smoke. In large amounts, such as from a faulty gas fire, it is rapidly fatal, while in small amounts, as when someone smokes a cigarette, it will cut down the efficiency of the smoker’s breathing.
Tar – the stuff cigarette smoke deposits in the lungs and clogs them up. Once inhaled, smoke condenses and about 70 per cent of the tar is deposited in the lungs. Condensed tar is a sticky brown substance that stains fingers and teeth a yellow-brown colour.
Nicotine – the powerful and fast acting drug behind addiction. When tobacco smoke is inhaled, nicotine is absorbed into the bloodstream. Immediate physiological effects include increased heart rate and a rise in blood pressure.
Cyanide – used in the gas chambers.
Formaldehyde – used to preserve dead bodies.
Arsenic – poison.
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Smoking bans in other countries
France attempted to cut smoking levels by raising the price of cigarettes by 20 per cent in October 2003.
The move provoked a strike from tobacconists, many fearing being forced out of business by smokers crossing borders to buy cigarettes in neighbouring countries.
However, despite the change in prices, no noticeable difference was reported in Paris’ traditionally smoke-filled cafes and bars.
Ireland imposed tough anti-smoking legislation in March 2004, banning smoking in pubs, restaurants and other enclosed workplaces.
Anyone caught smoking in a prohibited location now faces a fine of up to S3,000.
Italy imposed a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places including bars and restaurants from midnight on 10 January 2005.
Businesses face a fine of up to O2,000 if they fail to ensure their customers do not smoke, while smokers themselves could face a O275 fine for repeatedly ignoring the new rules.
The new rules allow smoking in special sealed-off areas fitted with smoke extractors; however many bar owners say fitting the automatic doors and forced ventilation systems required by law is too expensive.
Tobacconists reported a 20 per cent fall in cigarette sales in the weeks immediately after the ban came into force.
Malta:In October 2004, Malta introduced smoke-free workplace legislation in all enclosed workplaces including pubs, bars and restaurants and in April 2006, a total smoking ban was introduced in all public areas.
Many entertainment associations were against the ban claiming it will affect the entertainment industry negatively.
Montenegro: The union of Montenegro and Serbia has one of the highest rates of smoking in Europe, with 40 per cent lighting up regularly.
In August 2004, the Montenegro part of the union decided to introduce a sweeping ban on smoking in public places in the hope of overturning an established culture of smoking in offices, restaurants, bars and on buses.
Now under the new rules, which were introduced early in 2005, tobacco advertising and the portrayal of smoking on television will also be banned.
The Netherlands: A tough crackdown on smoking from 1 January 2004 saw cigarettes banned from many public places including railway stations, trains, toilets and offices.
Some 30 per cent of the Netherlands’ 16 million population are smokers – a higher rate than all other European Union countries except Spain, Greece and Germany.
The government wants to reduce the total by 5 per cent over the next three years.
Norway: A national ban was imposed on smoking in restaurants, bars and cafes from 1 June 2004.
Tobacco advertising has been prohibited in Norway for 30 years and a packet of cigarettes costs about Lm4.
Despite this, one in three people smoke cigarettes, and there has been a rise in tobacco-related deaths.
Spain: A new law banning smoking in offices, shops, schools, hospitals, cultural centres and on board public transport was introduced on 1 January, 2006.
Businesses occupying more than 100 square metres have eight months to set up a separate smoking area. Smaller premises have to indicate whether they are smoke-free.
The government says the ban is necessary because smoking is the biggest killer in Spain, with 50,000 smoking-related deaths annually and around 30 per cent of Spaniards smoking.
A government-sponsored opinion poll released in December showed more than 70 per cent of respondents backed the ban.
United Kingdom: After resisting calls to ban smoking in the workplace, instead preferring a voluntary approach from employers, the government shifted its position and plans to implement a full ban on smoking in the workplace in England from July 2007.
Scotland introduced a similar ban in April 2006 and prohibitive legislation in Northern Ireland and Wales is due to come into effect in April 2007.
About 30 per cent of adults under the age of 65 smoke in the UK, according to recent research conducted by Imperial College in London.
An estimated 42 per cent of people under the age of 65 are exposed to tobacco smoke at home and 11 per cent at work.
Source: BBC website
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282 deaths related to smoking in 2006
Between January and October 2006 a total of 282 Maltese, of which 213 were men, lost their lives to smoking-related diseases or illnesses, said Home Affairs and Justice Minister Tonio Borg.
These statistics were recently published following a parliamentary question on the number of smoking-related deaths in Malta made by Labour MP Carmelo Abela.
Another 725 people were caught smoking in public places – the police took action against 722 and another two people were caught smoking in St Luke’s Hospital.
The police pressed charges against 50 establishment owners who allowed smoking inside.