WHO quiz asks: Is it OK for restos to set up non-smoking rooms?

Does the World Health Organization (WHO) find it acceptable for a restaurant to set up a non-smoking room, meant to keep non-smokers safe from cigarette smoke? In an online quiz in time for World No Tobacco Day this Tuesday, the WHO clarifies such provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which requires signatories like the Philippines to control the use of tobacco. True or false, the WHO asks: “It’s OK to have non-smoking rooms in restaurants and bars." The agency says: “The statement is false."

An online quiz in time for World No Tobacco Day this Tuesday clarifies the provisions of an international treaty controlling the use of tobacco. (Screen grab from www.who.int)

In the online quiz, the WHO points out that the FCTC — the first global health treaty under the WHO — requires the “protection from exposure to tobacco smoke in indoor workplaces, public transport, indoor public places and, as appropriate, other public places." “Effective measures to provide protection from exposure to tobacco smoke … require the total elimination of smoking and tobacco smoke in a particular space and environment in order to create a 100-percent smoke-free environment," explains the WHO, a United Nations agency. “There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke, and notions such as a threshold value for toxicity from second-hand smoke should be rejected," the WHO adds. The quiz also includes the following true-or-false items:

• Tobacco advertisements are acceptable as long as they do not make tobacco use look glamorous.
• Countries that become parties to the FCTC are obliged to help their people quit using tobacco products.
• The tobacco industry and the public health community should sit down together and find ways to compromise.

The quiz is part of the WHO campaign on World No Tobacco Day this Tuesday to push countries to “fully implement the treaty to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental, and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke." “By heeding WHO’s call, countries will enhance their ability to significantly reduce the toll of tobacco-related diseases and deaths in line with their treaty obligations," the agency said in a statement. PHL compliance The Philippines, which implements the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 or Republic Act (RA) 9211, needs to do more to comply with the FCTC, said Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) communications manager Joy Alampay in an interview with GMA News Online. “Maraming loopholes ang ating law. Hindi siya strong enough if you read the framework convention," Alampay said. On its website, SEATCA in particular said RA 9211 “should be amended to disallow designated smoking rooms, currently permitted under the law, in all indoor public places and workplaces without exception." “The government should not permit smoking rooms even if they come with ventilators because they are proven to be ineffective," added the group, which pushed for a total smoking ban in venues such as bars, nightclubs, discos, karaoke lounges, casinos, and non-airconditioned eating places. SEATCA also recommended an increase in the tobacco tax rate — now at 46 to 49 percent of the retail price — to above 65 percent of the retail price as the World Bank recommended. The group added that the government should introduce pictorial health warnings on tobacco packages “as these are known to be an effective tool to increase awareness of the harmful effects of smoking." DOH: Govt complying with treaty Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) said the government “has taken strides" in meeting its obligations under the FCTC. “However, we must remain vigilant in guarding against opposition by the tobacco industry," the agency added. In a statement issued Monday, the DOH said it has implemented moves such as issuing an administrative order in 2010 that requires graphic health information on cigarette packs. “Tobacco companies have, however, filed five lawsuits against the DOH instead of complying with the order and have secured preliminary injunction orders in two cases," the DOH said. But the DOH noted that the two injunction orders “are effective only within the territories of the issuing courts and only in favor of the parties who obtained the orders." “The DOH, along with the WHO and public health advocates, are urging local government units to implement the administrative order in their areas," the department added. The DOH also said it is promoting 100-percent smoke-free environments, with “more and more" local government units implementing their own ordinances to ban smoking in public places. On Monday, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) began its crackdown on Filipinos who smoke in public places, according to a report on GMA News’ “24 Oras" newscast.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV The agency added that it is lobbying for laws in Congress that will increase tobacco excise tax rates. While other countries in the Asia Pacific region have stepped up the war against the use of tobacco, cigarette companies continue to dominate in the Philippines in terms of market reach. The latest Global Adult Tobacco Survey said that around 17.3 million Filipino adults, or 28.3 percent of the population, are smokers. The study also said 55 percent of Filipino adults get exposed to second-hand smoke in public transportation. — VS, GMA News