Thursday, 18 October 2012
The next phase of the Welsh Government’s three-year campaign to reduce children’s exposure to second-hand smoke in the car has been launched.
Fresh Start Wales' autumn campaign, 'Don't ignore their wishes' encourages parents and relatives to stop smoking around young people, especially in enclosed spaces like cars.
Targeting the parents of school-age children, the autumn advertising campaign aims to attract attention in the run up to, and during, half-term week. It includes roadside advertising in close proximity to schools, cinema advertising and posters in shopping centres.
The launch comes in the same week the British Medical Journal published an article by the peer reviewed scientific journal Tobacco Control on the dangerous levels of toxins found in cars where a smoker had been present.
Supporting the Welsh Government's decision to launch Fresh Start, the article reports on findings by the Scottish Centre for Indoor Air in the University of Aberdeen, which state the poisonous particles found after a cigarette had been smoked in a car were on average 3 times the levels in the World Health Organization 24 Hour Indoor Air Guidance.
The Minister for Health and Social Services, Lesley Griffiths said:
"The Welsh Government's Fresh Start campaign is a first in the United Kingdom. It is designed to lower the prevalence of smoking generally and certainly around children, especially in enclosed spaces where they cannot move away from the harmful fumes."The toxins and poisons in tobacco smoke can linger in cars up to two hours after a cigarette has been extinguished. Opening a window simply is not good enough, as this can channel the smoke backwards, into the lungs of the vulnerable passengers sitting in the back seats."I read the article in the BMJ with interest and welcome any report backing our decision to persuade parents and carers to stop smoking in cars carrying children.""It is hoped this campaign will change attitudes towards smoking in cars and protect the next generation from the health complications known to be caused through second-hand smoke."
Source:
Health in Wales