Indoor air in a nutshell

1
Indoor air in a nutshell

• Fiona Godfrey
• EU Policy Advisor
• European Respiratory Society Brussels

2
Sources of indoor air pollution

• Tobacco smoke
• Household activities
• Cleaning, decorating and building materials
• Radon, pesticides
• Heating and ventilation equipment
• Mould, spores, fungi
• Source THADE report, in press

3
Health effects

• Lung cancer
• Heart disease
• Asthma
• Allergies
• Legionnaires disease
• Pneumonia
• Interstitial lung diseases
• Headaches, cough, wheezing, eye problems
• Nausea, fatigue, fever, shortness of breath

4
Some indoor air pollutants

• Tobacco smoke
• Carbon monoxide and dioxide
• Nitrogen dioxides
• Particulate matter
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Pesticides
• Dust mites, animal dander, mould, fungi

5
Possible solutions

• Reducing exposure to zero or safe limits
• Improving building, heating, air conditioning and
  ventilation standards
• Removing pets from homes and schools of
  susceptible persons
• Education programmes about prevention options
• Legislation

6
EU legislative options

• Treaty bases
• Internal market Article 95
• Worker health and safety Articles 137, 138
• Public health Article 152
• Environmental protection Article 174

7
Amending existing directives

• Building Directive 89/106/EEC
• Workplace Air Quality Directives 89/654/EEC,
  92/57/EEC, 92/91/EEC, 92/104/EEC
• Pregnant Womens Directive 92/85/EEC
• Carcinogens Directive 90/394/EEC

8
Second hand smoke (SHS) exposure

• Single biggest source of indoor air pollution in
  EU
• No genuine debate about the health effects of SHS
  exposure
• SHS classified as a carcinogen by EPA, IARC,
  Finnish and German governments
• Only acceptable response is to eliminate exposure
  in all work and public places, as well as
  domestic environments wherever possible

9
Tobacco industry tactics

• Keep indoor air off the EU agenda at all costs
• Cast doubt on the harmful effects of SHS
• Influence EU officials, institutions and agencies
• Frame the debate as one of smokers human rights
  versus the nanny state
• Get other groups to do their talking (Horeca,
  UNICE, independent scientists, columnists)
• Challenge the legal basis of legislation
• Manufacture a debate about economic losses

10
In the industrys own words

• CONSUMER FREEDOMS Health concerns and the
  deteriorating social attitude regarding smoking
  and secondhand smoke are leading towards tighter
  smoking restrictions in which the IARC study may
  be a major factor.
• Source Philip Morris 3 year EU strategy,
  1995-1997

11
The strategy...

• Push the principle of subsidiarity for smoking
  legislation issues Avoid a smoking ban on
  public transport proposed under the guise of 1993
  Directive to protect transport workers Avoid a
  backdoor smoking ban by securing acceptable EU
  (CEN) indoor air quality standards. Extend
  solutions programmes on courtesy and tolerance.
  Encourage strengthening of smokers rights groups
  and mobilisation of businesses against bans.
• Page 5
• ...Developing and leveraging smokers' rights
  groups (SRGs) will be crucial...Maintain the
  debate on ETS science among EU legislators...Under
  take original studies on confounders and
  achieve wide publication to ensure balances
  perspective and coverage...
• Page 6

12
Bring on the front groups

• OBJECTIVES
• Foster opposition to, and avoid support of
  ill-founded legislation.
• STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS
• --Activate mechanism for coordinated pan-European
  actions by SRGs to bring smokers' voice to EU
  legislative debate expand existing SRGs and
  create new groups, where needed, to defend
  against ban threats...
• --Equip and politicize the European Horeca
  association - Hotrec
• --Develop opposition to smoking bans among
  targeted European Employers Associations and
  Unions sectors
• --Develop "hard core" group of businesses opposed
  to bans using mobilization techniques.
• Page 8

13
Advocacy tips on indoor air

• There are grounds for concern about many indoor
  air pollutants BUT
• Be aware of tobacco industry attempts to use
  other pollutants to divert attention from the
  biggest indoor pollutant of all - SHS
• Dont get side tracked into discussions about EU
  legal bases, health or economic effects

14
Ventilation and SHS

• Ventilation is not advocated as a solution to
  SHS.
• It doesnt work and is pushed by the industry
  because
• When smoking restrictions in the workplace are
  implemented, enforced and respected, demand for
  cigarettes falls.
• Smoking restrictions and smoking acceptability in
  Europe, June 1993 Philip Morris