Smoke-free environment

A Finnish study published at the beginning of 2002 in the Finnish Medical Journal found that the biggest killer among the diseases linked to passive smoking/environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) was coronary heart disease.

The study found that passive smoking at workplaces was responsible for 250 deaths in 1996 – a mortality linked to ETS exposure going back years. About 100 of these were due to heart disease, 80 were caused by disturbances in blood circulation in the brain and 50 were due to lung cancer. The other deaths were caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and pneumococcus infection.

Another study from Finland examined 652 healthy eight-year-olds and measured serum cotinine (a metabolite of nicotine). The study  found that nearly half of them had a detectable concentration of cotinine in their ears, proving extensive exposure of the children to ETS.

Gradual legislation

Moves to tackle the problem of ETS have taken place incrementally since the 1970s.

Changes to legislation have followed in the wake of developments in tobacco control and health promotion understanding that have progressively revealed ETS to be a severe health hazard.

The first efforts to cut people’s exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke were made by the seminal 1977 Tobacco Control Act. This restricted smoking in public buildings and on public transport. It was only later that the problem of smoking in workplaces was addressed.

In 1995 workplaces (excluding restaurants) became smoke-free. In 2009 also  restaurants became smoke-free.

Tobacco control legislation has been instrumental in cutting people’s exposure to ETS. Finland is on a way to smokefree environment.