6 February 2012
As the Welsh Government launches its campaign today to highlight the danger to children of smoking in cars, BLF Wales, which has led calls for action on this issue, welcomed the initiative, but underlined that the option of a ban had to remain.
Chris Mulholland, Head of BLF Wales, said:
We welcome the launch of this campaign. There is a mountain of evidence to show that smoking in cars harms children.Passive smoking by children causes respiratory illness and poor lung function, as well as many other health problems.
Smoky cars are worse than smoky bars – the level of dangerous particles caused by a single smoker in a car can be higher than in smoke-filled pubs. Worse still, children’s lungs are more vulnerable than adults’.
We hope the campaign will help reduce children’s exposure to smoke in cars. But it’s vital that the option of a ban remains, as the First Minister indicated it would.
Poll after poll shows a huge majority of the public would support a ban. Evidence from other countries shows that legislation has made a big difference in protecting children.
Dr Patrick Flood-Page, chair of BLF Wales and a respiratory consultant, added:
Smoking in cars harms children. 300,000 children in the UK go to their GP each year with illnesses related to passive smoking. We should be protecting our children from harm. We shouldn’t be forcing them to smoke.
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