Smokefree workplaces and public places will make the biggest improvement to public health for a generation.

Going smokefree has positively changed the way we live, work and socialise.

Smokefree legislation will save thousands of lives over the next decade by reducing secondhand smoke in enclosed public places and workplaces, and provide a more supportive environment for those that want to quit. For advice and information on the benefits of stopping smoking please see the NHS Go Smokefree web site.

Secondhand Smoke

Cigarette smoke is a toxic cocktail of 69 cancer-causing chemicals and hundreds of other poisons.

There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke - sometimes known as passive smoking.

If you breathe in other people's smoke you have more chance of getting both lung cancer and heart disease. Just thirty minutes exposure is enough to reduce coronary blood flow.

Smokefree Benefits

• Secondhand smoke is a killer
• Everyone has a right to a smokefree workplace
• Smokefree laws help people quit
• Smokefree laws are good for business
• Ventilation does not work

Being in an enclosed place where people are smoking can be harmful, even if it is not smoky, as 85% of secondhand smoke is invisible and odourless.

Secondhand smoke can also linger in an enclosed place long after someone has been smoking. Scientists have also found that ventilation systems are not able to eliminate the risks of secondhand smoke.

Separate smoking areas do not work either, because smoke drifts.

For advice on stopping smoking and where to find help and support see the Stop Smoking - Go Smokefree page.