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29 March 2011 03:07
Local news
Cutting smoke in cars: will you make the pledge?
From April, Lincolnshire motorists are being asked to make a pledge to significantly reduce the health risks for passengers exposed to second-hand smoke.
New research by the British Lung Foundation has found that over half (51%) of 8 to fifteen year-olds have been exposed to cigarette smoke when confined in a car. Researchers have also found that secondhand smoke concentrations in vehicles are often greater than in any other micro-environment.
From 1 April, the award-winning Lincolnshire Smoke Free Homes project is expanding its scheme – helping residents sign up to Gold, Silver or Bronze promises – to include cars.
Ros Watson, Smoke-free Lincs Alliance Co-ordinator, said: “Smoking just one cigarette in a car, even with the window open, creates a greater concentration of secondhand smoke than a whole evening’s smoking in a pub. This new research clearly illustrates that child passengers are exposed to dangerous levels of poisonous particles from smoke. Opening the car window still does not reduce the levels of secondhand smoke in a car to a safe level. The smoke that remains in the vehicle, or blows back in, also lingers for hours, affecting the lungs of anyone who breathes it in.
“Since 2004, the Lincolnshire Smoke Free Homes project has supported 6,995 households - where children live with smokers - towards pledging to reduce or eliminate the amount of smoke in their home. From April, anyone who makes a Gold Promise will also be committing to keep their family car constantly smokefree.”
Lincolnshire Smokefree Homes – chosen to host a national conference to inspire other areas of the country 18 months ago – is run by the Lincolnshire County Council-championed Smoke-free Lincs Alliance, which works with the NHS Phoenix stop-smoking service, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, Sure Start and local schools.
Secondhand smoke can cause children to suffer from asthma, coughing and wheezing, glue ear and chest infections. It also increases the risk of developing cancer, heart disease and cot death.
Anyone interested in more details or signing up for the Lincolnshire Smoke-Free Homes Pledge can contact 01522 550542. Further information is also available at www.smokefreelincs.co.uk
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