Countries promoting secondary tobacco exposure introduce initiative to prohibit smoking in vehicles
In a bid to protect the health of minors, the German government has been actively pursuing a bill to expand the Federal Non-Smoker Protection Act. This move comes in response to growing concerns about the harmful effects of passive smoking, particularly in closed spaces such as vehicles.
According to a study by the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, approximately one million minors in Germany are currently exposed to tobacco smoke in cars. This exposure, even for a short duration, can have severe consequences. The risk of cancer in minors increases significantly due to passive smoking, and minors whose parents smoke are more prone to suffer from liver tumors or leukemia.
Investigations have shown that the tobacco smoke pollution in closed passenger compartments can reach a multiple of a heavily smoked pub within a few minutes with just one cigarette. This makes cars, especially those with children or pregnant women, potentially hazardous environments.
Recognising the urgency of the situation, the Bundesrat, Germany's upper house of parliament, decided in March 2022 to submit a corresponding bill to the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament. The bill aims to extend the non-smoking protection act to vehicles where children or pregnant women are present.
The federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and Lower Saxony have supported this proposal. However, the date for the law's reconsideration in the Bundesrat has not been specified in the available information.
It is important to note that this is not the first time the Bundesrat has considered expanding the non-smoker protection act. A draft from the office of the then health minister, Karl Lauterbach (SPD), was prepared in summer 2023. However, the law change did not occur due to the coalition change at the federal level in the last legislative period.
The proposed expansion of the non-smoker protection act is a significant step towards ensuring a safer and healthier environment for minors in Germany. By banning smoking in vehicles where children or pregnant women are present, the German government is taking a proactive approach to addressing the harmful effects of passive smoking.
As the bill makes its way through the parliamentary process, it is hoped that it will receive the necessary support to become law and provide much-needed protection for some of Germany's most vulnerable citizens.
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