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In Greece’s tobacco culture, passive smoke a serious problem

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FILE - This is a Sunday, July 12, 2015 file photo of a man as he smokes a cigarette as he looks at daily newspapers displayed at a kiosk in central Athens. Nearly two-thirds of Greeks are inhaling someone else\'s tobacco smoke on a daily basis, making Greece the worst nation in the European Union in exposing its people to the health risks of passive smoking. The European Union\'s statistical office Eurostat said Wednesday Dec. 7, 2016 that 64.2 percent of Greeks suffered daily exposure to tobacco smoke indoors. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias, File)

BRUSSELS – Nearly two-thirds of Greeks are inhaling someone else’s tobacco smoke on a daily basis, making Greece the worst nation in the European Union in exposing people to the health risks of passive smoking.

The European Union’s statistical office Eurostat said Wednesday that 64.2 per cent of Greeks suffered daily exposure to tobacco smoke indoors. Second in the EU is Croatia with 44.7 per cent, followed by Bulgaria with 40.5 per cent. At the other end, Sweden best protects its people from secondhand smoke with only 5.9 per cent exposed, even better than Finland with 6.3 per cent.

In a tally of EU smokers aged 15 and over, Bulgaria tops the rankings with 34.7 per cent, ahead of Greece with 32.6 per cent. Sweden only has 16.7 per cent who smoke, with Britain the second-lowest with 17.2 per cent.

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