30 May 2001
The theme this year for World No Tobacco Day -- May 31 - is: Second-hand Smoke Kills, Let's clear the air.
Two large events are planned to highlight this day in different provinces:
In the Eastern Cape on 31 May 2001 the findings of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey will be released at Toise Secondary School in Bisho, which is attended by some of the young people interviewed in the survey.
The Director-General of Health, Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba, the provincial MEC for Health, Dr Bevan Goqwana and Professor Priscilla Reddy of the Medical Research Council will share the findings of the study with a range of community representatives. The survey was national in scope and was conducted by the MRC with support from the Department of Health, WHO and UNICEF.
The objectives of the GYTS were:
The finding will be used to develop relevant school-based programmes to prevent smoking among children and teenagers .
In the Northern Cape on Saturday June 2, the MEC for Health, Ms Dipuo Peters and the Chief Whip, Mr Patrick Lenyibi head up a list of dignitaries who will address the crowds at Galeshewe Stadium in Kimberley. Awards will be made to businessmen and to the members of hospitality industry in the province who have willingly complied with tobacco control legislation. Mandoza, Doc Shebeleza, Thebe and Lundi will not only provide entertainment but also will add their voices to the movement for tobacco control.
The global health and economic burden caused by tobacco use is indisputable. With millions of their customers dying from tobacco-related conditions or quitting each year, it is crucial for the financial health of the tobacco industry to keep recruiting new smokers. "Youth are a particularly vulnerable target for the tobacco industry and help to secure the next generation of smokers. As responsible leaders in the community let us appeal to the tobacco industry to find alternative forms of business and spare our children", says Mr Gopolang Sekobe, Head of Non Personal Health Services in the Department of Health.
Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), also known as secondhand smoke, is the smoke given off by the burning tip of a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, and the smoke exhaled by the person who is smoking it. The smoke from tobacco products contains over 4,000 chemical compounds, more than 43 of them can cause cancer in humans.
WHO estimates that nearly 700 million, or almost half of the world's children, breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke, particularly at home.
Children and infants exposed to second hand smoke are vulnerable to diseases such as Sudden Infants Death Syndrome (SIDS), higher risk of pneumonia and bronchitis, higher risk of developing asthma and worsened asthma.
In adults, second hand smoke can cause cancer and increase the risk of lung diseases or heart attacks.
Tobacco legislation, like our own Tobacco Products Control Amendment of 1999, is seen internationally as a necessary and appropriate response to a major public health hazard which kills 4 million people world wide each year, and ± 30 000 South Africans each year.
Generally proprietors of businesses and managers of work places have complied with the restrictions on smoking in public places. More than 1 000 companies applied to use the "grace period" for effecting structural changes at their premises in order to provide smoking rooms. Indications are that about 10% of these have not yet completed alterations and they have only one month left in which to do so.
After June, when the "grace period" for building smoking rooms ends, monitoring of compliance with the Act will be stepped up and action will be taken against transgressors.
Issued by: The Department of Health