Message from the Directorを更新しました(Jan 1,2025)。
Exploring the History of Medicine, Part 51: Florence, Part 31
March 1, 2018
We will continue to examine the key articles of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Article 8: Preventing Secondhand Smoke (Making Indoor Spaces
100% Smoke-Free)
This mandates complete indoor smoking bans.
A simple measure to assess the risk of death from secondhand smoke is PM2.5 (fine particulate matter concentration).
PM2.5 refers to the amount of dust with a diameter of up to 2.5 micrometers contained in one cubic meter of air, expressed in weight (micrograms).
For every 10 μg increase in PM2.5, the daily death rate increases by 1%.
The upper limit set by the WHO is 25 μg/m³, but in Beijing, China, levels exceeded 350, which became a concern as it drifted into Japan.
However, the PM2.5 concentration in non-smoking izakayas (Japanese pubs) exceeds 700, which is alarmingly high — more than double that of Beijing.
I find it absurd that while Japanese people make a fuss about PM2.55 drifting in from distant Beijing, they remain tolerant of the large amounts of PM2.5 in their local izakayas.
There is no "safe level" of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Additionally, "engineering solutions" such as ventilation systems, air purifiers, and the designation of non-smoking areas (so-called "separation of smoking areas") do not prevent secondhand smoke.
Most of the harmful substances in cigarette smoke are gas-phase components that cannot be removed by air purifiers.
The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare has warned that "air purifiers do not clean the air, but instead spread toxic gases, including carcinogens."
Articles 9 and 10: Regulating Tobacco Contents and Emissions, and
Disclosing Information
As I mentioned in this column last November, additives like the ones
mentioned should not be added to tobacco.
These include ammonia, which promotes nicotine absorption; sugar, which
is a source of acetaldehyde, a substance that mitigates the symptoms of
acute nicotine poisoning; magnesium carbonate, which makes secondhand
smoke less visible; and benzaldehyde, which masks the odor of
secondhand smoke.
These additives must not be included in cigarettes.
JT (Japan Tobacco) is in complete violation of the treaty.
Moreover, they are required to measure harmful substances accurately and disclose the information properly.
As I mentioned last December, JT uses a deceptive machine measurement method to underestimate the nicotine content, and they shamelessly print this on cigarette packs.
Both the measurement method and the information disclosure practices violate the treaty.
Furthermore, the government is aware of this and turns a blind eye.
JT and the government are co-conspirators in violating international treaties.
To be continued
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