UICC Tobacco Control Fact Sheet No. 20

No Smoking Policy at Scientific and Other Events Related to Health

Introduction

It is well established that cigarette smoking causes serious diseases leading to premature death. In general, tobacco use in any form through smoking or smokeless use is addictive and detrimental to human health. It is identified as the most preventable cause of human suffering and premature death in the world today. Health care organizations, associations of health care personnel and health scientists all over the world are unanimous in accepting these basic facts about tobacco. All of them would like to discourage any kind of tobacco use in general, and cigarette smoking in particular.

One opportunity for advancing tobacco control policies whose potential has not been fully realized so far is conferences and meetings organized by professionals, scientists, institutions, and associations connected with health and health care. If these conferences and meetings clearly enunciate and adhere to specific tobacco control policies, this would help to raise awareness about tobacco control issues and exert a multiplier effect.

This document outlines specific guidelines for such a policy. The guidelines are divided in two categories: Mandatory and Desirable. Mandatory guidelines can be easily enforced by organizers of a meeting. The guidelines in the desirable category may not be directly enforceable by organizers, but they could seriously urge the connected agencies with some authority to adhere to such policies.

Mandatory

1. The event should be declared completely smoke-free (or tobacco-free wherever smokeless tobacco use is common). Thus no movable ashtrays need to be provided anywhere in the event.
2. This declaration should apply to all areas connected with the event including meeting halls, registration area, lounges, coffee area, trade and exhibit areas, etc., and all official functions such as receptions, tours, lunches, and dinners.
3. This declaration should be clearly and effectively communicated by the hosts to everyone connected with the event in any way: delegates, sponsors, organizers, employees, exhibitors, advertisers, volunteers, etc.
4. No official function of the event should be held at a place owned by a tobacco company. Tobacco company means a company that manufactures and markets cigarettes or any other kind of tobacco product for mass consumption, such as smokeless tobacco. Tobacco may not be the main business of the company but if it adds tobacco to any of its products manufactured and marketed for human consumption (without prescription), then it should be classified as a tobacco company.
5. The event should not be sponsored by a tobacco company, either fully or partially. No hospitality, e.g., lunch, dinner, tea, coffee, or tobacco product samples, should be accepted from a tobacco company.
6. A symposium sponsored by a tobacco company should not be allowed as an official satellite symposium. If the company insists on going ahead with organizing such an event, then the main event should be completely dissociated from it.

Desirable

1. The hotels where the delegates and participants are to be accommodated, should be smoke-free. If that is not possible, the hotels should be urged to offer a choice of smoke-free floors.
2. The designated restaurants and cafeterias that are recommended to participants should also be smoke-free. If that is not possible, these should be requested to offer a "No Smoking" section.
3. Airline companies, travel agencies, department stores, etc. that are designated as official service agencies for the event should be persuaded to adopt a "No Smoking" policy. If that is not feasible, they should be asked to provide "No Smoking" areas wherever applicable.

Proclamation, wide dissemination, and adherence to these policies would serve several purposes. It would raise the awareness of all participants, and especially of non-participants (personnel managing facilities of the event, caterers, transporters, trade exhibitors, etc.), connected with the event about the seriousness of the issue of tobacco control. It would demonstrate that health professionals practice what they preach. It may initiate discussions on tobacco control policies in various fora, such as hotels and restaurants, whose managements may not have thought about initiating a tobacco control policy.

The International Union Against Cancer (UICC) has already adopted these guidelines for all the conferences, meetings, workshops, etc. which it sponsors or which are held under UICC auspices.

Acknowledgement

This fact sheet has been prepared for the UICC by Pradesh C. Gupta, D.Sc., F.A.C.E., Senior Research Scientist, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay, India.

2/1996

Tobacco and Cancer Programme International Union Against Cancer 3, Rue du Conseil-Général, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: (4122) 809 1830, Fax: (4122) 809 1810 E-mail: tobacco-control@globalink.org | Tobacco and Cancer Programme