Tobacco firms say no justification for smoking ban

Tobacco firms have said plans to ban smoking in the workplace, including pubs and restaurants, are not based on "sound science" and insist there is insufficient evidence to support a total ban.

The head of science at British American Tobacco PLC, Dr Chris Proctor, has also accused Irish health authorities of compiling scientific information on the health effects of passive smoking in an unfair and biased manner.

The Irish Tobacco Manufacturers' Advisory Committee (ITMAC), which represents P.J. Carroll and Co, Gallaher and John Player and Sons, said designated smoking areas together with good ventilation would help solve any potential health problems.

In a submission to the Health and Safety Authority, the committee said the ban should respect the preferences of smokers and non-smokers.

"The key factor in the environmental tobacco smoke debate is tolerance. This means allowing others to say or do what some may personally dislike - but up to a point. Where to draw the line on this should be determined by sound science and with smoking policies based on co-operation, courtesy and common sense," the report says.

It also queries the links between passive smoking and cancer and questions the conclusions of public health officials who said in a report earlier this year that environmental tobacco smoke posed a serious health risk. "ITMAC believes that current regulatory proposals to extend workplace smoking restrictions to include social settings such as pubs, clubs and restaurants are not based on sound science and that there is insufficient evidence either in Ireland or internationally to support a total ban." It has also called for a serious evaluation of the economic effects of extending smoking bans to the hospitality industry and an evaluation of all possible alternatives.

In a separate submission on behalf of P.J. Carroll and Co, Dr Chris Proctor said a report by the Office of Tobacco Control published in January on the effects of environmental tobacco smoke was biased on its approach to international research.

This research was one of the cornerstones upon which the Health Minister, Mr Martin, announced plans for the smoking ban. Dr Proctor said the report exaggerated the consensus of scientific bodies over the links between tobacco smoke and health.He said recent research in the British Medical Journal accepted that there was still a debate over whether exposure to passive smoking caused chronic diseases.