Exposure to tobacco smoke is bad for both smokers' and non-smokers' health. It
can cause serious problems such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and
have adverse reproductive effects. Furthermore it can cause death due to
cancers (particularly lung cancer), coronary heart disease or stroke.



Yet thousands of workers are still exposed to tobacco smoke at their workplace.
According to EU-OSHA estimates based on ILO data, over 9,000 workers died in
EU-27 in 2008 because of lung cancer caused by ETS at work.



In addition to individual sufferings, exposure to tobacco smoke imposes
significant costs on the economy, including direct costs stemming from
increased healthcare expenditure and indirect costs linked to productivity
losses.

"Ex-smokers are unstoppable" is the slogan of the EU-wide campaign launched
last month. Tobacco is the single largest cause of avoidable illness in the
European Union and the estimated cause of death of over 650,000 people in the
European Union every year. 1 in 3 people smoke.

The 3 year campaign will focus on the positive effects of stopping smoking and
will use a coordinated mix of advertising, social media, events and practical
tools to reach smokers and help them quit. This campaign is a natural
continuation of the previous campaigns: "Feel free to say no" ran from 2002 to
2004, and the "HELP" campaign which ran from 2005 to 2010.

More info

AplusA-online.de - Source: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work