Smoking ban urged in the home by Mersey health chiefs

Nov 5 2007 by David Higgerson, Liverpool Daily Post

CALIFORNIAN-STYLE bans on smoking in homes where young children live are being considered by North West health bosses, the Daily Post can reveal.

A high-level conference with health and public sector officials has decided that action needed to be taken to protect children who are “forcibly exposed” to second-hand smoke.

Having successfully led the way in campaigning for a national smoking ban in public places, influential figures from the North West have now turned their attention to the other areas where children inhale tobacco fumes.

One option raised at the conference, held in Manchester last week, was to campaign for legislation which bans smoking in homes where young children live.

Such laws already exist in California, and experts from the state said such a move was vital in the UK, too.

Keynote speaker and leading Californian expert Tonia Hagaman said: “The State of California has just passed a law making it illegal to smoke in a private vehicle in which there are under-18s. We see this as a vital step to protecting children – but it also sends out a clear, strong message.

“We also have evidence that when smokers make their homes smoke-free, they are more likely to take steps to quit, and that children growing up in smoke-free homes are less likely to start smoking.” A report launched at the conference warned that children are particularly susceptible to ill-health caused by exposure to second-hand smoke.

It highlights that cot death is twice as likely for babies whose parents smoke and in households where both parents smoke, children have a 72% increased risk of respiratory illness, a 50% increased risk of asthma and a 40% increased risk of middle ear disease, which can cause deafness.

Speaking at the conference, Beverley Hughes, minister for children, young people and families said: “We have achieved a lot with the introduction of smoke-free public places, but smoking is still a major cause of preventable illness and early death for the people of the North West.

“We need to drive home the message that it is unacceptable to expose children and young people to second-hand smoke.”

Dr Janet Atherton, chair of Smokefree North West and director of public health for Sefton, said: “While we have achieved a great deal in the region towards reducing the harm caused by tobacco, smoking remains to be the single biggest cause of health inequalities.

“Clearly, there is still a great deal of work that needs to be done and this conference is a display of the commitment that exists across the North West to continue to treat tobacco related health as an urgent priority.

“We are asking those leaders from local authorities, health services and other public sector organisations in the North West that are here today to sign-up to our declaration towards a tobacco free future – to cut tobacco related harm and to break the cycle of addiction to tobacco, particularly among young people.”

Pippa Sargent, Smokefree Programme Manager for the Heart of Mersey, added: “We cannot ignore tobacco as a real potential problem for future generations and we need action now to de-normalise tobacco in society.”

davidhiggerson