Smoking in the workplace

: Both, smoking and certain work place emissions can cause similar disorders. Among those are chronic obstructive bronchitis and--more rarely--cancer of the lung. If both risk factors are associated their relative noxious effects have sometimes to be weighed and assessed separately. As a rule the greater importance has to be attributed to smoking. Rarer and thus less known are work related noxious substances (mainly nitroglycols, carbon sulfur, carbon monoxide) that lead to or at least accelerate cardiovascular diseases. These substances can thereby interact with concomitant nicotine abuse. While it is now accepted that passive smoking in general increases the risk for cancer, investigations on the exclusive effects of passive smoking at the work place are scarce. In daily life complaints about the various molestations prevail in the working environment. These can only be resolved in mutual openness and a factual comprehension. To this end certain legal prescriptions may prove helpful. Non smoking in institutions not only furthers the working climate but cautious estimates suggest that corporations may hereby economize resources. From this latter point of view the introduction of 'no smoking rules' could thus be rewarding as well.