Milan Permanently Bans Smoking From Many Outdoor Areas

Milan Permanently Bans Smoking From Many Outdoor Areas

The ban is intended to lower the city's high air pollution levels - Image Source: Twitter

THE NORTHERN Italian city of Milan has banned locals from smoking in many outdoor areas including parks and bus stops.

Milan is the first city in Italy to adopt these extreme new anti-smoking measures after the country was a European leader (after Ireland) in banning cigarettes from indoor places such as bars and restaurants.

The new ban aims to “reduce PM10 fine particles, which are harmful to the lungs, and protect the health of citizens against active and passive smoking in public places,” said a local council statement.

Due to its location in northern Italy’s heavily industrial Po Valley, Milan suffers from high levels of air pollution – and 8% of the PM10 particles in the city are due to smoking. Fines for breaking the new law range from €40 to €240, although exemptions to the rules are made for smoking isolated spots, at a distance of 10 metres or more from others – as well as for electronic cigarettes.

The city hopes to have a total ban on public smoking by 2025, as Italy attempts to crackdown on its nicotine problem. According to a study by the ISS health agency, the number of smokers aged 15 and over in Italy has fallen by one million to 11.6 million since 2005.


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Oisin Sweeney

Oisin is an Irish writer based in Seville, the sunny capital of Andalucia. After starting his working life as a bookseller, he moved into journalism and cut his teeth as a reporter at one of Ireland's biggest news websites. Since joining Euro Weekly News in November, he has enjoyed covering the latest stories from Seville, Spain and further afield - with special interests in crime, cybersecurity, and European politics. Anyone who can pronounce his name first try gets a free cerveza...

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