Environment nicotine in nearly half of the access points to schools and children’s parks
A study carried out in 11 countries and led by the Barcelona Public Health Agency has detected the presence of environmental nicotine in 41% of children’s parks and 46% of access points to primary-education schools in various European cities, including Barcelona. Cigarette smoke is especially harmful to children, who are vulnerable to it, and increases the risk of their suffering from respiratory diseases.
Fag ends were found in 75% of school entrances and in close to 60% of the children’s play areas analysed in a study conducted by the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB). One out of every five children’s parks observed had a smoker inside its children’s recreation area. And it was also shown that more people smoked in neighbourhoods with lower socio-economic indices than in other neighbourhoods.
Detecting cigarette smoke in areas reserved for children is part of a broader European research project, TaskSHS, which analyses exposure to environmental cigarette smoke and e-cigarette emissions and estimates the disease load that can be attributed to passive smoking among Europe’s population, especially among the most vulnerable, such as young children. The main results of the study are being presented in a photographic exhibition entitled “TackSHS project: Is there cigarette smoke in children’s outdoor areas?” as part of the ASPB’s Art and Health cycle. The exhibition officially opens tomorrow, 10 November, at 12 noon, and can be followed live from this link: https://youtu.be/A5lRKFumJfc.
