The EU Council adopted a recommendation Tuesday to help reduce exposure to second-hand smoke and aerosols and achieve a tobacco-free generation in Europe by 2040.
Nearly 700,000 lives are lost in the EU every year due to tobacco consumption. The EU’s Beating Cancer Plan aims to make Europe tobacco-free generation by 2040, where less than 5% of the EU population uses tobacco products.
The recommendation on smoke and aerosol-free environments encourages EU countries to broaden the scope of their existing protection against second-hand smoke exposure to include key outdoor areas like playgrounds and restaurant terraces. The new measures will also apply to emerging tobacco and related products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs).
The revision of the Council Recommendation on smoke-free environments seeks to de-normalise and discourage the use of tobacco and emerging products, especially among younger people, and fight against nicotine addiction.
Since the adoption of the last Council recommendation on smoke-free areas in 2009, a number of new tobacco and related products have been developed, including e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and heated herbal products. Their emissions may be inhaled by bystanders, exposing them to potentially harmful levels of toxicants, contaminants, and other air pollutants.
The new recommendation extends the provisions of the 2009 recommendation to aerosol-emitting products. EU statescountries will be encouraged to further restrict the use of these products in certain public spaces, public transport as well as in the workplace.
The new recommendation also recognises the prevalence and potential harmful effects, particularly to children and young people, of second-hand exposure to smoke and aerosols in outdoor spaces. These spaces include restaurant terraces, playgrounds, beaches and public transport. The Council therefore recommends that EU countries extend protection from second-hand smoke and aerosols to include a broader range of places.
Council Recommendation on smoke-and aerosol-free environments
Health risks of second-hand smoke and aerosols (background information)
