The European Commission installed this Tuesday at Member States For extend restrictions on tobacco consumption in outdoor spaces where non-smokers, particularly the most vulnerable such as children and young people, are most exposed. Spaces such as bar and restaurant terraces, playgrounds, swimming pools or public transport stops are at the centre of this proposal.which also suggests extending the ban to the use of electronic cigarettes, whether or not they contain nicotine.
Stella KyriakidesCommissioner for Health, stressed that in a “European Health Union“It is essential to protect citizens from the harmful effects of smoke and aerosols. The official stressed the importance of moving towards the goal of a “tobacco-free generation» by 2040.
Although the recommendation is not mandatory, Brussels encourages national governments to include it in their health policies, adapting it to the particularities of each country. Among the spaces where it is considered crucial to apply protection are outdoor leisure areas.especially those frequented by minors, such as playgrounds, zoos and amusement parks.
Furthermore, the European Commission reported other places like balconies, roof terraces and patios adjacent to establishmentsas well as semi-covered public transport areas, such as bus stops and train or tram stations, where the ban should also be implemented.
To support the implementation of these recommendations, the Commission has committed to allocating Community funds, with an allocation of EUR 16 million for health and 80 million additional from the Horizon programfocused on tobacco control and tobacco products
Furthermore, Brussels plans to launch complementary initiatives to support member states in the creation of prevention strategies aimed at children and young peoplewith particular attention to the relationship between physical and mental health. The development of these policies will depend on the new European Commission, which will take office in the autumn.
According to Commission data, each year, approximately 700,000 people die in the European Union for smoking-related diseases, including thousands of victims
Diseases
Lung cancer, COPD or cardiovascular diseases. These are just some of the diseases caused by tobacco, which has become the leading single cause of preventable morbidity and premature mortality worldwide. Spainaccording to statistics. However, in our country there are more than 8 million smokers, a figure that has been increasing in recent years.
Not only has the number of smokers increased, but the number of ex-smokers and the perception of the health risks of smoking have decreased. This was demonstrated by the latest survey of Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine. A misperception, including among people who have already quit smoking.
When you stop smoking, the risk of developing lung cancer begins to decrease immediately, but it takes many years to disappear, if at all, warns Dr. Javier Zulueta, director of the Department of Pulmonology at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra. “It should be remembered that today, purely statistically, there are more cancers diagnosed in ex-smokers than in active smokers, because there are more ex-smokers than smokers,” adds the specialist.
Although this is still being studied and the speed at which the risk decreases is unknown, there are already indications that, even 20 years laterThose who have smoked always have a slightly higher risk of developing cancer than those who have not smoked. What influences it to persist over the years?
The age at which you quit smoking “appears to be” the most important factor in reducing the risk of developing lung cancer. “If you quit smoking before age 35 or up to age 35, regardless of how much you smoked before, your risk is much lower than if you quit after age 40 or 45. In other words, the later you quit smoking, the greater your risk.” Dr. Zulueta emphasizes. “However, this does not mean that it is not beneficial to quit smoking after the age of 35.”
But quitting smoking is not the only factor to consider. Women are at greater risk than men, and the presence of other diseases also plays a role. “In clinical trials“It has been shown that those who suffer from pulmonary emphysema, detectable during a screening scan, have three times more risk of developing lung cancer than those who have smoked the same amount, but who do not suffer from emphysema,” he acknowledges.
