Dhaka:All offices of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) have been declared 100% tobacco- and smoke-free to protect non-smokers from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the authority will now conduct all its activities in line with national tobacco control guidelines to maintain a completely tobacco- and smoke-free environment across its offices. BFSA Chairman Md. Shafiqul Islam, an additional secretary, made the announcement as the chief guest at an event titled 'Declaration of All Offices of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority as 100% Tobacco- and Smoke-Free' at the authority's headquarters in the capital on Monday.
The event was jointly organised by Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) and the BFSA. The decision was taken to protect officers, employees, and citizens visiting the authority for services from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. Presenting the keynote paper, Md. Shariful Islam, coordinator of the Tobacco Control Project at Dhaka Ahsania Mission, highlighted that tobacco smoke contains approximately 7,000 chemicals, around 250 of which are harmful to human health and can cause serious diseases and death.
He noted that tobacco use claims approximately 200,000 lives in Bangladesh every year. Citing data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), he said 42.7% of non-smoking adults in enclosed workplaces and 21.6% of non-smoking adults in government offices are exposed to the health risks associated with secondhand smoke. Approximately 37.8 million people in Bangladesh use tobacco products, including 19.2 million who smoke, and nearly 40 million people are exposed to secondhand smoke despite not using tobacco themselves.
Speakers at the event emphasized that the BFSA's initiative could inspire other government institutions to establish completely smoke-free environments. They also stressed the need to formulate rules under the amended tobacco control law without delay to provide clearer guidance for public and private institutions. The discussion was moderated by Ferdous Arafat, legal officer of the BFSA, with the presence of Anwarul Islam Sarker, member of the BFSA; Kawsarul Islam Sikder, additional director of the authority; Dr Naila Parvin, assistant director of the Health and Nutrition Sector at Dhaka Ahsania Mission; members of the Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Wellbeing; and senior officials from the relevant organisations.