Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

16.1% of smokers in China plan to or are thinking about quitting this year.

38.7% of Indian adults have been exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke at home.

205 million adults made an attempt to quit smoking in the past 12 months.

1.2 billion adults are exposed to secondhand smoke in public places.

Smoke-free laws improve public health by reducing the public’s exposure to secondhand smoke, helping smokers reduce cigarette consumption, and helping smokers quit.

Smoke-free laws do not harm the hospitality industry. In fact, in some countries smoke-free laws have been shown to benefit the economy.

Smoke-free laws are feasible for every country regardless of culture, climate, and income level.

There is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure. Exposure to secondhand smoke causes death, disease, and disability among non-smoking adults and children.

Adults exposed to secondhand smoke in the workplace are at greater risk for developing tobacco-related health problems than adults who work in smoke-free environments.

Women and children are disproportionately harmed by secondhand smoke due to their increased exposure from male smokers.

Smoke-free laws save lives, protect workers’ health, and immediately improve public health.

Exposure to secondhand smoke increases healthcare and medical costs.

Almost half of children regularly breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke in public places.

Over 40% of children have at least one smoking parent.

In 2004, children accounted for 28% of the deaths attributable to secondhand smoke.

Over 1 billion people, or 16% of the world’s population, are protected by comprehensive national smoke-free laws.

About 7 in 10 adults in Pakistan (16.8 million people), who work indoors, have been exposed to tobacco smoke at the workplace.

5 in 10 adults in Pakistan (56.3 million people) have been exposed to tobacco smoke at home at least monthly.

Nearly 9 in 10 adults in Pakistan (21.2 million people) who have visited restaurants, have been exposed to tobacco smoke.

Nearly 8 in 10 adults in Pakistan (49.2 million people) who use public transportation, have been exposed to tobacco smoke.

27.2% of everyday smokers in Turkey quit smoking.

15.6% adults in Turkey (2.4 million people) who work indoors, have been exposed to tobacco smoke in the workplace.

38.8% adults in Turkey (20.8 million people) have been exposed to tobacco smoke at home, at least monthly.

12.9% of adults in Turkey (2.8 million people) who visited restaurants, have been exposed to tobacco smoke.

5 in 10 current smokers in Indonesia planned to or were thinking about quitting.

51.3% adults in Indonesia (14.6 million people) have been exposed to tobacco smoke at the workplace.

78.4% adults in Indonesia (133.3 million people) have been exposed to tobacco smoke at home.

85.4% of adults in Indonesia (44 million people) who have visited restaurants, have been exposed to tobacco smoke.

54% of smokers in Thailand plan on or have thought about quitting.

30.5% adults in Thailand (4.2 million people) who work indoors have been exposed to tobacco smoke in the workplace.

36% adults in Thailand (19.5 million people) have been exposed to tobacco smoke at home, at least monthly.

Secondhand smoke kills more than 600,000 people worldwide each year, including 165,000 children.

During the year following implementation of Arizona’s statewide smoke-free law in 2007, hospital admissions decreased for acute heart attacks by 13%, for unstable angina by 33%, for stroke by 14%, and for asthma by 22%.

5 in 10 Chinese adults have been exposed to tobacco smoke at the workplace.

A study comparing the average hospital admissions for asthma 6 years before and 3 years after Scotland’s 2006 smoke-free legislation found that hospital admissions for asthma dropped 15% among children (age <15).

Within 3 months after implementing a 100% smoke-free law in Neuqu̩n, Argentina, a survey among workers in 88 bars found a reduction in respiratory symptoms (pre-ban 57%, post-ban 29%) and a reduction in irritated eyes, nose or throat (pre-ban 86%, post-ban 37%).

In the state of Minnesota, there was no significant change in bar or restaurant employment in both rural and urban regions following local smoke-free laws.

A review of the implementation of smoke-free laws in multiple locations found that the level of indoor air pollution declined by 71%–99% after the implementation of local, state, or national smoke-free legislation in New York, Massachusetts, Delaware, Hawaii, Scotland, Ireland, England, Finland, and Italy.

Two years after the smoke-free law was implemented in the state of Washington, sales revenues were $105.5 million USD higher than expected for bars and taverns.

In Uruguay, air nicotine concentration (a byproduct of smoking) fell by an average of 91% among the public places tested (schools, hospitals, government buildings airports, restaurants, and bars) after the implementation of their national smoke-free law.

Globally, an estimated 33% of non-smoking males, 35% of non-smoking females, and 40% of children are exposed to secondhand smoke indoors.

49% of non-smoking Vietnamese workers have been exposed to tobacco smoke at their job.

67% of Vietnamese non-smokers (33 million people) have been exposed to tobacco smoke at home.

67.9% of current smokers in the Ukraine are interested in quitting.

34% of Ukrainian workers have been exposed to tobacco smoke at their workplace.

32.8% of Ukrainian adults inhale secondhand smoke daily or almost daily.

In the United Kingdom, exposure to secondhand smoke among children costs at least £9.7 million each year in primary care visits and asthma treatment, £13.6 million in hospital admissions, and £4 million on asthma drugs for children up to the age of 16.

Of all deaths attributable to secondhand smoke, approximately 47% occur among non-smoking women and 27% occur among non-smoking children.

In Switzerland, secondhand smoke exposure in public causes 32,000 preventable hospital days and 3,000 years of life lost—corresponding to healthcare costs of CHF 330 million.

Among children exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke, there is a 50–100% higher risk of acute respiratory illness, higher incidence of ear infections and an increased likelihood of developmental disabilities and behavioral problems.