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Brisbane (pte039/02.03.2005/14:00) - Passive smoking is killing more than 11,000 people a year in the UK - much higher than previously thought, a new study shows. As the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk reports, leading doctors said the findings proved a complete ban on smoking in public places was still needed. The British Medical Journal http://www.bmj.com also gives a figure for people dying from second-hand smoke in the workplace - 600 a year - for the first time. November's Public Health White Paper proposed a ban on smoking in public places with the exception of pubs that do not serve food. At the time, much of the medical establishment criticised the proposals for not going far enough. However, doctors have thrown their support behind Liverpool's bid to introduce a complete ban in all workplaces, which is due before the House of Lords later this month.
Researchers at the University of Queensland http://www.uq.edu.au in Australia compiled the report from UK databases of causes of death, employment, structure of households and levels of active smoking and exposure to passive smoking. They found 2,700 deaths among people aged 20 to 64 could be attributed to second-hand smoke and 8,000 in 65-year-olds and over. A further 617 deaths were caused by workplace passive smoking, including 54 in the hospitality industry.
"It is clear that adoption of smoke free policies in all workplaces in the UK might prevent several hundred premature deaths each year," said Konrad Jamrozik, the report's author. Previous studies have put the figure much lower. The British Medical Association (BMA) estimated it was 1,000 a year three years ago but said the latest study was a much more comprehensive guide to the problem. "As doctors, we see first-hand how second-hand smoke kills," said James Johnson, chairman of the BMA. "I don't know how John Reid (the home secretary) can continue to serve the public half-measures on health. We need a total ban and we need it now."
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