Call to protect children from smoking in cars

Dublin- ASH Ireland has launched a campaign to ban smoking in cars carrying children aged under 16 years. The anti-smoking group says the policy is already in place in parts of Australia, US and Canada. The recently elected Chairperson of ASH Ireland, cardiologist Dr Angie Brown, claims that the effects of passive smoking in a car can be 23 times more toxic than a house.
She has appealed to parents that smoke to change their behaviour. ASH says the measure would be an integral part of the Government's aim to create a smoke-free society. ASH has written to Minister for Health Mary Harney to request a meeting on the issue and says it is hopeful progress can be made. It says children exposed to passive smoking are much more likely to develop asthma and lung infections than those who are not and the ban is solely designed to protect children.