Smoking: leading by example?

To the Editors:

“Smoking kills”, “Smoking seriously harms the health of you and others around you” and “Smoking clogs the arteries and causes heart attacks and strokes” are among the statements now seen frequently on the packaging of tobacco products in the UK, such statements having become a legal requirement in 2003. Following a recent UK directive, cigarette packages will carry picture warnings by the end of 2008 1. No one can argue that smoking is not bad for health. The effects on health of smoking remain a topical issue as more and more countries ban smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces.

England became smoke-free in July 2007, following the lead of other countries such as Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway, Sweden and Scotland, who have all banned smoking in enclosed public places. France has introduced some restrictions and plans to impose a complete ban in January 2008. The USA has a ban in some states and India plans to introduce smoke-free public buildings in its capital by 2009 2, 3.

Respiratory physicians, as a group, have played a large part in advocating this ban, with groups such as the British Thoracic Society Tobacco Committee forming to discuss action plans. Indeed, at the 2007 European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress, there were over 200 presentations and posters containing “smok” (i.e. the terms smoke, smoking or smoker) in the title, and many more on the topic of smoke and smoke-related health problems, not including these words in the title 4.

We were therefore surprised, no, shocked to see such a large number of ERS congress delegates smoking. The expression “do as I say, not as I do” is widely known in the UK. Although it is difficult to contest the presumption that everyone, even respiratory doctors, have a right to do as they wish, the inherent contradictions of respiratory physicians knowingly damaging their own lungs and the health of those around them remains stark.

At the recent ERS Congress, with delegates wearing easily recognisable Congress badges and blue rucksacks seen all over Stockholm (Sweden), such hypocrisy must have been puzzling to the average Swedish bystander.

How can we ever expect the public to listen to what is said about the harm of smoking and take note when they can see that we as a group of professionals are not heeding our own advice? So, a plea to all those attending future congresses: if you must smoke, at the very least anonymise yourself first!

Statement of interest

None declared.