7/18/2014 Secondhand smokers in Qatar get the wrong end of the stick | JustHere

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Secondhand smokers in Qatar get the wrong
end of the stick
Not that there is a right end of the stick when it comes to
smoking. A quick survey conducted by JustHere revealed that
about 1 in every 10 workplaces allowed smoking within the
office, and 7 in every 10 had a segregated space. Only about 2 in
10 workplaces followed a zero-tolerance policy.
It is not always comfortable getting into an argument on smoking with
colleagues. While over half of the respondents who smoke said they would put
out the cigarette if someone protested, 15% said they would ignore or ask the
complainant to move.

Of the non-smokers, 75% of the respondents said they would either protest or
walk-out of the smoking environment, while 25% said they would zip up and
put up. However, over 40% are not comfortable speaking up against smoking in
workplaces.
A respondent who prefers to remain unnamed says in her workplace smoking
was allowed in a few rooms, and long meetings ended in severe eye irritation,
sore throat and a headache, as most people in the room would be smoking.
Opening of windows (in response to protests) was a gesture that helped very
little, if at all, in making it breathable in the room, she adds.
Vani
Saraswathi
On June 1,
2014
7 Like
AccordingtotheAmericanLungAssociationemployeeswhoworkin
asmokefilledenvironmentare39%morelikelytogetlungcancer.
Rememberthatopeningawindow,runningafanorairpurifier,or
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JUSTHERE SURVEY
Does your workpl ace al l ow
smoki ng?
Indoors: 11.32%
Segregated space: 67.92%
Zero tolerance: 24.53%
How do you react i f a non-
smoker protests?
Apologise and put it out: 57.14%
Ask them to move to a diff
location: 4.76%
Ignore: 9.52%
Other (please specify): 28.57%
(Response included: Depends on
where I was smoking, work
culture etc)
Do you thi nk workpl aces
shoul d al l ow smoki ng
i ndoors?
Yes: 4.00%
No: 84.00%
July 18, 2014, 3:04 pm
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Our survey covered a small sample size, but gives an overall idea on attitude
towards smoking, and in particular secondhand smoking in Qatar. (See sidebar
on GATS survey)
LACK OF AWARENESS; CHILDREN, PREGNANT WOMEN MOST VULNERABLE
Dr Ahmed Mohammed Al Mulla of the Smoking Cessation Clinic at HMC says
most residents in Qatar are unaware of the degree to which secondhand
smoking affects your health.
Speaking to JustHere he stresses that secondhand smoking, especially in a group,
is far more harmful than if you were smoking yourself. Imagine being in a
room with 5-6 smokers and you inhale all of the smoke.
The lack of awareness on the harms of secondhand smoking is evident in the
responses of those surveyed. Some felt it was acceptable if there was a
segregated smoking spaces, but this is not really effective. As the Canadian Lung
Association highlights, Second-hand smoke can drift under doors and through
open windows, vents and electrical outlets. Drifting tobacco smoke is a problem
for many people who live in multi-unit buildings as renters or as owners.
Smokers account for over a third of the countrys population which means a
large number of children are exposed to secondhand smoke too.
Dr Mulla says HMC deals with many cases of bronchial asthma amongst
children, which does not respond to treatment. Investigations reveal that the
children are regularly exposed to secondhand smoking, because of their parents.
There is no safe level of exposure, and complete ban indoors is a must, he says.
See this tweet from Doha-based journalist Victoria Scott:
.@FordMiddleEast have given me a free hire car while
they fix my car AC - good. But I had ask their GM to stop
smoking in the office - bad.
10:19 AM - 25 May 2014
Victoria Scott
@Toryscott
Follow
She is pregnant but was not afforded the courtesy and right of a smoke-free environment, until she demanded it.

Tracy Glenn, a registered nurse and a resident at The Pearl, has been struggling with
secondhand smoke as well, and complaints to management has gone unheeded she says.
None of the tenants should be forced to breathe in secondhand smoke because a neighbour
does not care about their own health consequences from smoking. My flat should not allow
smoke to enter from the hallways either. If there was another fire in Tower 19 our flats would
smokingnearthechimneywillnotgetridofsecondhandsmoke.
CanadianLungAssociation
Other: 12.00%
(Response included: Only in a
designated zone with ventilation
and AC)
If i n a smoki ng envi ronment,
you
Protest: 15.38%
Walk out: 61.54%
Zip up and put up: 23.08%
Are you comf ortabl e
speaki ng up agai nst smoki ng
i n worki ng pl aces?
Yes: 40.63
No: 15.63
Sometimes: 37.50
Is your di rect supervi sor a
smoker?
Yes: 37.78
No: 62.22
If yes, are you comf ortabl e
enough to obj ect to hi m/her
smoki ng i n your presence?
Yes: 56.52
No: 43.48
HOW BAD IS SECONDHAND SMOKE? THIS BAD
Second-hand smoke has over 4,000 chemicals; many of them cause cancer. Two thirds of the smoke from a
cigarette is not inhaled by the smoker, but enters the air around the smoker.
Second-hand smoke has at least twice the amount of nicotine and tar as the smoke inhaled by the smoker.
It has five times the amount of carbon monoxide, a deadly gas that robs the blood of oxygen.
It also contains higher levels of ammonia (better known as window cleaner) and cadmium (also found in batteries).
The concentration of hydrogen cyanide (a poisonous gas that attacks respiratory enzymes) in tobacco smoke is
considered toxic.
Non-smokers who breathe in second-hand smoke can get many serious diseases. It can cause lung cancer, heart
disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (emphysema and chronic bronchitis) asthma and other diseases.
Regular exposure to second-hand smoke increases the risk of lung disease by 25% and heart disease by 10%.
(Courtesy Lung.Ca)
EXPOSURE TO SECONDHAND
SMOKE:
12.0% of adults (8.3% of
Qatari, 13.8% of Non-Qatari)
who worked indoors were
exposed to tobacco smoke at
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smoking in qatar
be filled with smoke very quickly. As you must know, it is smoke that kills people in a fire first.
The doors should not have a large gap under them. This could be easily resolved with weather
stripping tacked to the bottom of the door inside, she wrote in her formal complaint, that she
shared with JustHere. She has received no response to the complaint.
ANTI-SMOKING LAW NOT ENFORCED
Qatar is planning to tighten its Anti-Smoking laws and step up its
implementation. As it stands, there is a ban on smoking in most closed spaces.
However, there is poor implementation, and residents have been complaining
about smoking in certain malls in the country. Starbucks in Landmark and
Villaggio is often cited for not asking patrons to stop smoking.

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the workplace.
16.8% of adults (16.7% of
Qatari, 16.9% of Non-Qatari)
were exposed to tobacco
smoke at home.
25.9% of adults (29.2% of
Qatari, 24.1% of Non-Qatari)
were exposed to tobacco
smoke when visiting
restaurants.
Courtesy: Global Adult Tobacco
Survey-Qatar