Smoke-free outdoor environments prevent ill-health
Smoke-free outdoor environments, such as play areas, can help prevent children and young people from starting to use tobacco. They are also helpful for people who want to stop smoking.
Smoke-free environments also make public places more accessible and are healthier for those who work there. Environments that are smoke-free thus help to prevent ill-health caused by smoking.
Help reduce smoking
When environments are smoke free, smoking is less visible in society, which can mean fewer children and young people taking up smoking. Smoke-free environments are also helpful for people who want to stop smoking.
Make public places accessible for everyone
It is important that as many people as possible are able to participate in society on equal terms. If an environment is smoke-free, it can be used by people who do not want to be exposed to smoke or should not be exposed to it for health reasons.
Improve the work environment
When environments are smoke free, workers such as restaurant staff serving outdoors or door staff have healthier conditions to work in.
A person breathing in another person’s cigarette smoke is exposed to the same harmful substances as the person smoking. There are no safe levels for exposure to tobacco smoke, and we know that there are high levels of harmful particles around a person smoking outdoors.
Applies to all smoking products
All types of smoking, e.g. cigarettes, e-cigarettes and water pipes, are prohibited in smoke-free environments. This will help to make smoking less visible. Vapour from e-cigarettes can also irritate our airways and lungs and contain substances hazardous to health, such as nicotine.
Part of Sweden's work on reducing tobacco use
Sweden's work on reducing tobacco use is based on broad, long-term initiatives in partnership with several other parties at various levels – national, regional and local. The legislation on smoke-free environments is part of this work.
Did you know?
By observing smoke-free environments, we are helping to comply with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. And by ensuring there are environments where children are not subjected to smoke, we are respecting children's right to optimal health. This is an important part of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is part of Swedish law.
Smoke-free outdoor environments
The smoke-free environments in the Act on Tobacco and Similar Products are:
- outdoor areas relating to public transport
- outdoor serving areas, for example outside restaurants and cafés
- enclosed areas outdoors that are mainly intended for sports use, i.e. sports facilities
- play areas that members of the public have access to
- entrances to premises and other spaces that the public have access to
- school grounds