Hong Kong Standard – 9 December 2008
As many as 16,000 service sector employees in Hong Kong face serious health hazards as they work in bars that have been exempted from adhering to a territory-wide smoking ban, according to the latest study by University of Hong Kong researchers.
The study also warned that staff who are exposed to cigarette smoke over several years are in danger of losing between 10 percent to 30 percent of their lung function.
Anthony Hedley, chair professor of community medicine at the university, said the city should impose a complete smoking ban.
Allowing smoking in specific rooms and terraces of restaurants and bars were not practical as they harmed workers health, Hedley said.