Smoking ban for cars? British doctors say yes
(CBS/AP) Smoking bans are now in place in all sorts of places, including restaurants, bars, and parks as well as workplaces. Now the group that represents doctors in Britain is calling on the government to snuff out smoking in cars - a step that would go beyond regulations elsewhere.
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In research released on Wednesday, the British Medical Association said that the confined environment in automobiles exposes drivers and passengers to 23 times more toxins than a smoky bar. Children are especially vulnerable to second-hand smoke since their bodies absorb more pollutants.
"Smoking in enclosed spaces is especially dangerous," Dr. Jonathan Whiteson, director of the cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation and wellness center at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, told CBS News. "Outdoors, smoke gets carried away on the breeze - one puff and it goes away." But in a car, he said, the smoke is recycled.
What's more, he said, toxic residue from cigarette smoke can linger on surfaces even after the air has cleared.
In Australia, Canada, and parts of the U.S., smoking in cars is banned when kids are present. In the U.K., smoking in public vehicles like buses and trains is banned, but there is no law against smoking in private cars.
Smoking causes many deadly health problems, including heart disease and stroke as well as numerous forms of cancer. In the U.S., smoking causes an estimated 443,000 deaths a year - more than HIV/AIDS, illegal drug use, alcohol abuse, automobile accidents, suicides, and murders combined, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Vivienne Nathanson of the association said Wednesday that the government should now take a "bold and courageous step."
Would banning smoking in cars infringe on individual rights? "That is for the ethicists and lawyers to discuss," Dr. Whiteson said. "But whatever we can do to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking and limit space where people can smoke, the better."
What do you think? Has the time come to ban smoking in cars?
