NHS FIFE has backed calls by the British Medical Association to ban people from smoking in their cars.
The BMA is urging the Government to bring in a ”bold and courageous” law that would make it illegal for anyone to smoke in a car, whether a child is present or not.
According to the BMA, second-hand smoke in cars is a serious health risk as toxin levels can be 23 times higher than in a smoky room.
The organisation’s Smoking in Vehicles paper (PDF link) says children are particularly vulnerable to second-hand smoke because they absorb more pollutants and have underdeveloped immune systems. It also claims smoking is a road safety risk because it distracts drivers.
A spokeswoman for NHS Fife said: ”Second-hand smoke, whether it is in the home, car or public space, is harmful to the health of everyone.
”Whether this is legislative or not, we need to continue to build upon the positive cultural shift in attitudes towards protecting others from second-hand smoke by taking appropriate measures…
”Adults can reduce their risk of developing or worsening conditions such as coronary heart disease, respiratory disease, cancers and the early onset of rheumatoid arthritis by reducing their exposure to second-hand smoke.”
BMA public health medicine committee co-chairman Keith Reid said: ”The State has a responsibility to intervene to protect children, and a ban on smoking in motor vehicles would reinforce the message that children are harmed through others’ smoking.
”The evidence suggests that the most feasible way to accomplish this is to implement a complete ban on smoking in motor vehicles.”
Prime Minister David Cameron said he supported the ban on smoking in public places but was more ”nervous” about legislating about what people do inside a vehicle.
Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ lobby group Forest, said: ”There is no justification for a ban on smoking in cars, with or without children present.
”The evidence that it is harmful to other passengers is weak, to say the least.
”We don’t condone smoking in cars with children. It’s inconsiderate, certainly, but only a small minority of people do so these days.”