1. Smoking does not just harm the smoker but also the people nearby, who breathe in the smoke exhaled by the smokers and are called passive smokers. Recent research has shown that concentration of second-hand tobacco smoke in many outdoor areas is often as high or higher than in some indoor areas such outdoor exposure are well beyond generally are involuntarily exposed. Therefore, the passive smokers or those who unavoidably breathe in second-hand tobacco at public places have such as lung cancer, asthma, bronchitis and sudden infant death syndrome in children.
2. (a) As a preventive measure, a mandatory specific statutory health warning on cigarette packs was introduced in 1975. Realising the seriousness of the problem.
(b) Smoking in public places was prohibited nationwide from October 2 under the Prohibition of smoking in Public Places Rules 2008. The smoking ban pertains to public places, which include auditoriums, cinemas, hospitals, public transport (aircraft, buses, trains, metros, taxis) and their related facilities (airports, bus stands, railway stations), restaurants, hotels, bars, pubs, amusement centers, offices, libraries, courts, post offices, markets, shopping malls, canteens, educational institutions and parks.
3. Advantages of No Smoking Zone are the following :
(a) It reduces the possibility of second-hand tobacco smoke being inhaled by non-smokers.
(b) It reduces air pollution. Areas which have prohibited smoking have been found to have better indoor air quality as opposed to areas where smoking is allowed.
(c) It reduces health care costs by reducing the chances of diseases caused by smoking.
(d) It reduces the chances of influencing others, especially the youth, to take on the habit of smoking.
