Smoking ban is advised for playgrounds

The report from the Tobacco Advisory Group of the Royal College of Physicians says that children are exposed to passive smoking wherever people smoke and argues that media campaigns are needed to explain why it is important to prevent it.

It cites statistics that passive smoking is implicated in more than 20,000 cases of lower respiratory tract infections, 120,000 cases of middle ear disease, at least 22,000 new cases of wheeze and asthma, 200 cases of bacterial meningitis and 40 sudden infant deaths in UK children each year.

The report, Passive smoking and children, says that the most important determinates of passive smoke exposure for children are whether parents or carers smoke, and whether smoking is allowed in the home.

It recommends that smoking should be prohibited in cars and other vehicles, and that smoke-free homes should be promoted through mass media campaigns. It also backs the recommendaton by the Department for Children, Schools and Families that smoke-free policies be implemented in schools and school grounds.

The Government's Chief Medical Officer, Liam Donaldson, said, 'I very much welcome this report, which clearly sets out the danger to children from exposure to secondhand smoke. This is a serious health concern, one that I have highlighted a number of times, and the report makes a valuable contribution to the evidence on the harms of passive smoking.'

Betty McBride, director of policy and communications at the British Heart Foundation, said, 'The UK Government should now look at all options available to best protect children, including awareness campaigns, supporting parents to quit smoking and possible legislation.

'When the current smoke-free legislation in England is reviewed later this year, it should find the best way to achieve a smoke-free environment.'