Surely it has happened to you too: you are on the beach, perhaps with children, and suddenly you’re breathing in tobacco smoke. This is a common occurance because if somebody is smoking next to your beach umbrella, you are also likely breathing in their tobacco smoke through secondhand smoke exposure.

You have probably also seen a child put a cigarette butt in his or her mouth while playing in the sand because the beaches are full of them.

That is why we need beaches to become healthy places that families can enjoy without tobacco smoke and cigarette butt litter. Smoke-free beaches would also eliminate one of the most toxic contaminants of the ocean, as cigarette butts pollute up to 50 liters of water with nicotine and tar, taking 10 years to degrade, during which time it is consumed by fish and entered into the food chain.

On some beaches in Spain smoking is already prohibited. As of now, there are no penalties for non-compliance, but this initiative is increasingly widespread. In Galicia alone, where the local government has led this initiative brilliantly, there are 141 beaches where smoking is not allowed.

Some of these are well-known beaches appearing in tourist brochures; others are lesser-known but upscale. There are also smoke-free beaches in the Region of Murcia, Asturias, Catalunya, and the cities of Motril(Granada), Torrox (Málaga) and Vera (Almería) in Andalusia, and on Spain’s famous islands Mallorca, Ibiza and  Gran Canaria, all declared 100% smoke-free.

However, there is still a long way to go. Nofumadores.org (Non-smokers.org) considers it essential to establish regulations at the national level to facilitate the implementation of these measures in the most effective way, either through regional or local administration. This way, there would be a national standard that would allow for  the existence of smoke-free beaches throughout the country.

Sign this petition to urge the Minister of Health, Mª Luisa Carcedo, to initiate the process of a preliminary anti-tobacco bill that would include converting Spanish beaches into smoke-free environments!

This legislation would protect the public from secondhand smoke exposure in places where there are often large crowds of people, of particular importance for children, the elderly and those suffering from respiratory illnesses; it would also protect our oceans and beaches from toxic cigarette butt contamination.

Please help us to make beaches a healthier place where we can all enjoy smoke-free air and clean sand without cigarette butt pollution. Signing this petition will help support a move towards legislation that will allow us to achieve this goal, which we hope will open the door for smoke-free protections for other spaces such as swimming pools, outdoor shows and concerts, and sports venues.

Thank you very much!

Nofumadores.org

For the right to live without tobacco smoke

Nofumadores.org is an apolitical and non-denominational non-profit association, registered as number 172.478 with the Spanish National Registry of Associations, and is the main Spanish association in defense of the right to live without forced secondhand tobacco smoke exposure.