Smoke-Free Workplaces
Smoking harms the health of smokers and those around them. Smokers are at far higher risks of strokes, heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases; cancers of the lungs, mouth, larynx, bladder, pancreas, kidneys and stomach; emphysema, bronchit...
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Format: | Brief |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Washington, DC
2012
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Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2002/07/12005293/smoke-free-workplaces http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9764 |
Summary: | Smoking harms the health of smokers and
those around them. Smokers are at far higher risks of
strokes, heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases;
cancers of the lungs, mouth, larynx, bladder, pancreas,
kidneys and stomach; emphysema, bronchitis, and
tuberculosis. These diseases cause serious illness,
disability and premature death. Tobacco causes 4 million
deaths worldwide each year, and the numbers are rising fast.
Tobacco smoke also harms non-smokers exposed to so-called
second-hand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). In
addition to smell and irritation to eyes, ETS exposure
increases the risk of lung cancer and cardio-vascular and
respiratory diseases. ETS exposure is common in workplaces.
In 1996, an estimated 130 million adult non-smokers in China
were exposed to workplace ETS. In the UK in 1999, more than
3 million non-smokers were continuously or frequently
exposed to tobacco smoke at work. In France, where there are
laws restricting smoking in public spaces, 40 percent of
employees are still exposed to ETS. ETS can interact with
chemicals and radiation in workplaces to produce an additive
or multiplicative effect and increase significantly the risk
of many occupational diseases. In some countries, employers
have a legal responsibility to protect the health of their
employees. Smoke-free workplaces can reduce employers'
legal liability, create safer working environments, improve
workers' health and enhance corporate image. [Revised April 2011] |
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