Shanghai Targets Secondhand Smoke at School Gates

Parents smoking outside Shanghai schools will face closer scrutiny as the city launches inspections today to curb children's exposure to secondhand smoke during school drop-offs and pickups.

The campaign covers entrances to primary and secondary schools, kindergartens and childcare institutions, as well as parents' waiting areas and nearby crowded spaces.

Shanghai's patriotic health office and municipal education commission are coordinating the inspections and public outreach. District teams will visit selected schools and kindergartens, focusing on conditions around dismissal time.

Inspectors will check whether smoke-free campus signs are prominently displayed at entrances and waiting areas, and whether people seen smoking are promptly reminded to stop.

The drive comes despite a substantial decline in smoking across the city. Shanghai's adult smoking rate has fallen by 8.3 percentage points to 18.6 percent since tobacco-control legislation was introduced in 2010, reaching the Healthy China 2030 target ahead of schedule, according to the campaign announcement. It is the lowest rate among provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland.

However, 42 percent of nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke. A survey of 10,000 people conducted by the city's health bureau and other organizations found that nearly 60 percent frequently encountered outdoor secondhand smoke. More than 90 percent disliked it, and over 70 percent found it unacceptable.

Nearly 30 percent of respondents said they had encountered smoke at school gates while dropping off or collecting students.

Shanghai's regulations on protecting minors prohibit smoking and drinking in schools, kindergartens, areas near their gates and other public places where minors gather. Yet school entrances remain a weak point in tobacco control, the announcement said.

Beyond the inspection campaign, schools will assign responsibilities to tobacco-control supervisors, who will discourage smoking and cigarette-butt littering during busy arrival and departure periods.

Schools will also use parent groups and meetings to explain the rules, while encouraging students to pass smoke-free messages to their families. Authorities plan posters, short educational videos and other resources for schools.

Parents are urged to refrain from smoking while waiting or collecting children. Those who smoke are asked to move away from crowded areas.