Smoking Banned at World Health Offices
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GENEVA — Smoking will be banned starting Tuesday at the Geneva headquarters of the World Health Organization, one year after a WHO report described the habit as the “major avoidable cause of ill health.” A statement said the ban, marking World Health Day, is intended to set an example of ensuring a smoke-free environment in public places.
WHO spokesman Gino Levi said non-smokers make up more than two-thirds of the 1,300 staff members at headquarters. The ban will apply to all offices except a small eighth-floor lounge with a capacity of fewer than 100 people.
A 1986 WHO report estimated that tobacco use caused at least 1 million premature deaths each year worldwide.
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