Don “Orfeo” Rechtman

IN China in 2008, six babies died and 300,000 got sick from milk that was knowingly and intentionally contaminated with the poison melamine. There was a national and international outcry of anger and disgust against this crime. China’s action was swift and definitive: several of those responsible received the death penalty for their part; many others, including 66-year-old Sanlu ex-boss Tian Wenhua, received life sentences or other punishments.

That very same year, and every year since and even many before, another tragedy, another health emergency, has an occurrence in China that needlessly takes the lives of an estimated 28,000 infants and children — not six — 28,000. But where is the outcry? Where is the action?

What is today’s national health emergency? Simply stated: Every year in China, more than 1 million people die from smoke-related illness. Of the million smoke-related deaths, more than 100,000, or 10 percent, are infants, children, and women who are exposed to second-hand smoke.

In 2019, a story in Wenhui Daily paints an even darker picture, stating that “180 million children across the country are suffering from second-hand smoke, and 28,000 children die from second-hand smoke every year.” Every year.

Another complicating factor is the danger of what is called “third-hand smoke,” which is the smoke that sticks to clothes, hair, skin, furniture, and the insides of cars, buses and trains. Studies show that exposure to third-hand smoke is also harmful to health. When the father comes home from work and he has the smell of cigarette smoke on his clothes and he picks up his infant baby for a hug, that baby is breathing in the third-hand smoke next to its nose.

“There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke.”… “Ventilation equipment is ineffective in reducing the harm from exposure to second-hand smoke.” This statement is in “The 2007 China Tobacco Control Report” of the Chinese Ministry of Health. Another way of stating this is “If you can smell cigarette smoke, it may be harming your health.”

It is time for women to take action; here is what you are being called to do:

Step One: Protect the children! Do not allow them to be exposed to cigarette smoke. Every adult has a responsibility to take care of all children. Because of the danger of smoke from even one cigarette, do not hesitate to immediately stop someone from smoking around a child. Today in some countries and some states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada, it is a crime to expose children to smoke and the punishment can include jail time and even separation from the children. Smoking in a moving car that has the windows down still has as much pollution as Beijing on its worst pollution days; smoking in an elevator or even when just walking down a hallway may leave second-hand smoke in the air for as long as 30 minutes. Smoke in a bathroom can linger for as much as an hour or more.

Step Two: Educate! Educate yourself, your children, your other loved ones and friends. If you’re in an apartment or gated community, express your concerns to the management, and have them post “no smoking” notices.

Step Three: Put up signs and posters! You can help public places enforce no-smoking policies by providing posters you create yourself or you get from your local or provincial tobacco control office. You can also put up posters in your own home.

Step Four: Attend events! Occasional anti-smoking events occur year round; the best-known international event is the World No Tobacco Day every May 31. Many schools, health facilities and local governments often have special events to mark that day.

Step Five: Talk with your local and Party representatives! China’s tobacco lobby may be powerful, but it is not as powerful as 500 million women speaking as one voice. One of China’s strongest characteristics is having a government that responds to the needs of the people, as exemplified by its prompt responses to the 2008 milk crisis and the Sichuan earthquake and other natural disasters.

Step Six: Join active organizations! In Shenzhen, there is the “Smoke-Free Shenzhen” WeChat account; in Beijing there is “Smoke-Free Beijing.” For China nationwide, there is the “Chinese Association on Tobacco Control.” Find your local and provincial tobacco control organizations and volunteer to assist with their public awareness activities. If your local community does not have such an organization, consider helping to create one!

For a stronger China, for a more beautiful China, for a healthier China, it is time for women (and everyone!) to join together to protect the nation’s children, women and all life, and set yet another example for the world of the Chinese people’s commitment to what is good for humanity.

(The author is a voting citizen from Chico, California, currently residing in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. His personal website is www.OrfeoMusic.org.)