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Areas General Services Presidency Formentera promotes new smoke-free spaces as part of AECC's #RespiroLibre push

Formentera promotes new smoke-free spaces as part of AECC's #RespiroLibre push

foto 2023iii aecc BToday Ana Juan, president of the Consell de Formentera, and Dr José Reyes Moreno, president of the Balearic Islands chapter of the Spanish Association to Stop Cancer (Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer, AECC), signed a collaboration agreement with which the island's government joins an AECC campaign called #BreatheFree (#RespiroLibre) aiming to change our everyday spaces to encourage healthy lifestyle habits and teach people about well-being. Hence, on Formentera, spaces like playgrounds, schools and sports centres that are typically used by younger islanders will be signposted to raise awareness and sensitise the population.

In parallel, the aim is to promote life without tobacco, remove the aura of normality around tobacco consumption, reinforce role models for young people and care for the environment. This Thursday a presentation was made around 'Smoke-Free Spaces'. President Juan; Dr Reyes; Jaume Bellido and Ana Belén Velasco, vice president and manager of the Balearic chapter of the AECC, respectively, and Pepita Gabaldar, president of the AECC's Regional Board for Formentera, all attended.

President Juan stressed "the importance of smoke-free spaces on Formentera to raising awareness among islanders, especially young ones, about the need to eliminate these habits from society". Finally, the president applauded the AECC's "constant work to prevent cancer on the island".

For his part, Dr Reyes affirmed, "We are working together to denormalise and reduce smoking among the population, particularly youth, to prevent them from starting". As the AECC president in the Balearics asserted, "this will mean, among other measures, multiplying the spaces where people can breathe freely so that no one is forced to breathe this smoke that is so harmful to our health".

The noxious effects of tobacco
Tobacco is the major risk factor for cancer and the data are conclusive: one out of every three cases of cancer is tobacco-related and involves someone who smokes, has smoked or who has been exposed to second-hand smoke; more than a dozen types of cancer are associated with this risk factor and it is responsible for more than 80% of lung and laryngeal cancers as well as between 30% and 50% of bladder, oropharyngeal and esophageal cancers and cancers of the mouth.

14 March 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

Presidency

Press Office

971 32 10 87 - Ext: 3181
premsa@conselldeformentera.cat

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