Too many French people are still exposed to the smoke of those around them, at home or at work, shows a survey published Friday by Santé publique France, which calls for "continuing efforts to denormalize tobacco" . "15.7% of people aged 18 to 64 years engaged in a professional activity declared in 2017 that they had been exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke during the last 30 days inside the premises at their workplace" , and this proportion has not decreased compared to 2014, observes the public health agency.
However, since 2007 (and 2008 for hotels and restaurants), all businesses, educational establishments, stations, shops and hospitals have officially become non-smoking places. "Social inequalities are marked: workers are four times more numerous (27.4%) than executives and higher intellectual professions (6.4%) to declare being exposed to them" , also underlines Public Health France.
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Smoking at home ( “regularly” or “from time to time” ) has decreased significantly, from 27.5% in 2014 to 17.6% in 2018. More than a third (37.9%) of daily smokers, however, report smoking at home (compared to more than half in 2014), and 14.4% in the presence of a child under the age of four (compared to almost a third in 2014). "These new data highlight the need to continue our efforts to denormalize tobacco in order to limit passive smoking, at home and at work," said Viet Nguyen Thanh, head of the addictions unit at Public Health France.
Tobacco smoke is harmful to the health of smokers but also to those around them who are exposed to the smoke emitted by the cigarette itself (primary smoke) and to that spit out by smokers (secondhand smoke). In children, exposure to tobacco smoke doubles the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, increases the risk of respiratory infections by 55%, asthma by 32% and acute otitis by 38%, recalls Public Health France.
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In adults, it is estimated that passive smoking is responsible for 1,100 deaths each year in France (by infarction, stroke, lung cancer or chronic respiratory disease) and that it increases the risk of coronary heart disease by approximately 25% and lung cancer for non-smokers, adds the health agency.
The data in this publication come from the France Public Health Barometer, carried out each year by telephone with several thousand French people on many health issues.