Smoking Should Stay Outdoors

A special place outside the building smoking remains the best practices of the region without cigarettes. Constitutional Court ruling is not expected to change the practice. The smoking room in the building was dangerous because of toxins in cigarette smoke can be dispersed.

This was confirmed National Commission on Tobacco Control at a press conference on Monday (14/5), in Jakarta, relevant decisions of the Constitutional Court (MK) to the case Number 57 Year 2011 on the Material Test Application to the explanation of Article 115 Paragraph 1 of Law No. 36 of Health in 2009.

Explanation of Paragraph 1 of Article 115 of Health Act reads, "Special places to work, public places and other places can provide a special place to smoke." The word "may" in the article was tested and the material removed by decision of the Court on 17 April 2012. It is feared the verdict is read without the full context to the detriment of public health.

Vice Chairman of the Tobacco Support Center Kartono Mohamad said the area that has implemented the no smoking and no smoking in the building provides a place feared to be unsure of the verdict. According Kartono, the verdict must be read in context, the purpose of the Health Act to protect public health from the dangers of secondhand smoke.

"Decision of the Constitutional Court did not provide details that smoking should be a special place in the room. Thus, the area has the authority to regulate further still refer to the maintenance of public health goals without violating the Court's decision. Instead, smoking remains a special place outside the building, "said Kartono.

Poison

"A special place with or without cigarette smoke ventilation system proved to be effective, tobacco smoke still spreading," said Head of Law Enforcement Regional Environment Management Agency of DKI Jakarta Ridwan Panjaitan.

He said it is working with Johns Hopkins University measured the levels of nicotine and fine particles in 34 buildings on 120 measurement points in Jakarta in 2009. The results, levels of nicotine in the air and fine particles found in all buildings, even in no-smoking area.

Levels of very fine particles of an average of 245 micrograms per cubic meter or 10 times the threshold of the World Health Organization (WHO), 25 micrograms per cubic meter per day.