Banning smoking outside “makes great sense”, one of Ireland’s leading oncologists has said. 

The EU is considering a proposal that would see a total ban on smoking cigarettes in certain communal outdoor areas - such as playgrounds, cafe terraces or bus stops. 

The hope is that such an initiative would further drive down smoking rates across the bloc and reduce the number of people dying from cancer. 

On The Hard Shoulder, Professor John Crown said his instinct would be to support further restrictions on smoking. 

“Anyone who actually sits in an outdoor area of a restaurant besides a smoker knows how unpleasant it can be to have people blowing puffy smoke in your general direction,” he said. 

“I don’t really want my child or my older children to be exposed involuntarily to cigarette smoke.

“In those kinds of circumstances, I think the ban makes great sense.” 

An elderly holidaymaker smoking a cigarette. Picture by: Alamy.com 

Professor Crown said passive smoking while outside is not nearly as harmful as doing it inside but warned it is still “not completely harmless”. 

“It is much less harmful than smoking in an indoor area,” he said. 

“But there are studies which show the people who are exposed to particulates, [then] there can be measured changes in their rate of breathing.” 

Addiction specialist Dr Garrett McGovern said there is “nothing worse” but said he thought a ban would be “just a little bit pointless”. 

“Smoking, we all agree, is a very harmful habit and it’s very hard to give up smoking,” he said. 

“I do think that smokers probably did give up a lot by not being able to smoke indoors - which was absolutely the right decision to make. 

“I think it’s probably a step too far to absolutely ban smoking in outdoor areas - I know it’s particular areas but I largely think it’s going to be unworkable.” 

In 2004, Ireland became the first country in the world to introduce a ban on smoking inside public indoor spaces such as pubs and restaurants.

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Main image: A woman lighting a cigarette. Picture by: Geoff Smith / Alamy Stock Photo