Madam, - I noted with interest and concern your reports of objections by some Cabinet Ministers to the plan to ban cigarette smoking in pubs (The Irish Times, July 7th and 8th).
Every day I witness the carnage caused by cigarettes to patients, and the immeasurable grief and anguish which results for their families. Smoking is responsible for 25 per cent of the cancers we see in Ireland and at any one time over 50 per cent of hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from illnesses related to smoking.
Its deleterious financial, emotional and physical effects on our society have been established for over a half a century. I find it disturbing that there is not universal and unequivocal support for banning smoking in all public places. If mobile phone masts (which have no proven health risks) were installed in pubs there would be public outcry. If only we had the same conviction as a society about demanding a cigarette-free environment. - Yours, etc.,
SEAMUS O'REILLY, MD, Ph.D., Consultant Medical Oncologist, Cork University Hospital, Cork.