Doctors dispel the myths surrounding a smoking ban

Doctors' organisation the BMA has published a report aiming to "clear the air" and puncture the myths around the smoking debate.

Behind the smokescreen backs the call by the TUC and other unions for a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places, including workplaces.

BMA chair James Johnson said the medical profession is united in support of a ban. "Recent research reports that passive smoking kills 30 people each day," he added. "The case for a complete ban on smoking in all enclosed public places has never been better made."

The report cites research including an independent review of available evidence on second-hand smoke and cancer, published last year by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. This concluded that exposure to other people's smoke raises non-smokers' risk of lung cancer by 20% to 30%.

The UK government's Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health has reached similar conclusions. A 1998 study found that second-hand smoke causes lung cancer and heart disease in adult non-smokers, as well as conditions including respiratory disease, cot death and middle ear disease in children. And an update published last year said that recent evidence strengthens earlier estimates of the size of the health risks.

Behind the Smokescreen can be downloaded from www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/smokescreen/$file/Behindthesmokescreen.pdf