Secondhand smoke still affects more than 40 percent of outdoor public spaces, although it is less pervasive than three years ago, the latest Health Promotion Administration (HPA) survey showed on Wednesday.
Last year, about 4 percent of designated non-smoking areas were affected by secondhand smoke, down from 5 percent in 2020, Tobacco Control Division Director Lo Su-ying (羅素英) said, citing an HPA survey on smoking habits among adults.
Exposure in outdoor public spaces overall was 42.9 percent, down from 48.8 percent the last time the survey was conducted in 2020, Lo said, but added that there was “still a great deal of room for improvement.”
Photo: Huang Shu-li, Taipei Times
The most commonly affected areas were parks, scenic areas and walkways in front of convenience stores and restaurants, he said.
In addition to raising the smoking age to 20, amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防治法) that went into effect on March 22 expanded the scope of smoke-free locations to include schools of all levels and childcare centers.
The act also empowers federal and local governments to designate non-smoking areas, many of which have taken advantage of this right to ban smoking at bus stops, near schools, on hiking trails and outside convenience stores, Lo said.
As of last year, there were 25,000 non-smoking zones set up nationwide, the survey showed.
Smoking in restricted areas may incur a fine of between NT$2,000 and NT$10,000, Lo added.
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