▲ Non-Smoking Area

As the spread of the COVID-19 infection has weakened recently, universities have regained their vitality, through face-to-face classes and various events. Unlike last year, when social distancing was quiet, many students are enjoying campus life this year. However, passive smoking has occurred in areas other than designated smoking areas, and some damages have occurred, such as dumping garbage into smoking areas without permission.

For a better smoking culture, a survey was conducted on smoking areas in schools. A total of 52 people answered, and a total of five questions were asked. The first question was, "Have you ever experienced or witnessed secondhand smoke in a smoking area, not in school?" Forty-six out of 52 said, “yes,” to the question. Most of the respondents were found to have experienced passive smoking and established that passive smoking was serious in non-smoking areas. The second question was, "What are the inconveniences of passive smoking outside the school smoking area?" The answer was repeated. A total of 40 respondents said an inconvenience was, "smelling," while 38 said, secondhand smoke was a health concern. Others said it also caused inconveniences, such as the spread of the new coronavirus infection, and traffic interference. Three respondents replied that passive smoking did not cause any inconvenience.

The next question was, "Why do you think you smoke in a non-smoking area?" Thirty-two people answered that they smoke in non-smoking areas because of the ability to smoke freely, 17 said the smoking area was small, 12 cited that there were non-sanitary smoking areas, and 11 said the smoking area was insufficient. Other reasons for smoking in non-smoking areas were, "for my own convenience," and, "Most smoking areas are far from buildings, so there is inconvenience for smokers." The fourth question was, "Have you ever seen garbage, like cigarette butts and drink cups thrown away in a place other than a trash can in a smoking area?" Of the 52 respondents, 46 said, “yes.” Most of the respondents are believed to have witnessed the dumping of unauthorized garbage in the smoking areas. The last question was, "What do you think is the damage caused by unauthorized dumping in smoking areas?" The answer could be repeated. Forty-eight said they were unsanitary, 36 said they smelled terrible, and 19 said there were insects. Some say that the damage caused by the unauthorized dumping of garbage in smoking areas was, ‘fine plastic from cigarettes.’

According to the survey, many of the respondents experienced passive smoking and witnessed the dumping of garbage in smoking areas without permission. The smoking culture must be improved for both smokers and non-smokers. Smokers should be careful not to let non-smokers smoke secondhand, and smoking areas should not be used to throw away illegal trash, in addition to the fixed trash cans. Many say that sanitary smoking spaces can reduce passive smoking by non-smokers, and that both smokers and non-smokers need an improved smoking culture for cohesivity.

By An So-yeon, editor-in-chef  1102soy@naver.com

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