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CASE STUDY: Suzannah Clarke
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“When I began to study opera I gave up going out almost completely as smoky atmospheres can result in you being unable to sing for up to a week – so I really didn’t have a choice. "
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Name: Suzannah Clarke Employed as: Soprano
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I’m an opera singer and have worked as Principal for major Opera Companies and Orchestras in England and abroad. Perhaps the most famous theatre I’ve worked for is La Scala, Milan and the biggest event was when I sang at the Euro 96 Football Championships to 440 million people worldwide. Opera singers are lucky from the point of view their work place is usually smokefree. But everyone, wherever they work, has a right to fresh air – this should be a basic human right. Comprehensive smokefree legislation for me would mean having the freedom and choice to be able to leave my social “wilderness” and join the real world again. So when my friends ask me to their birthday parties in a pub or restaurant I could say yes. When I stand in Kings Cross or Charing Cross stations I wouldn’t have to constantly move to avoid clouds of smoke. When I began to study opera I gave up going out almost completely as smoky atmospheres can result in you being unable to sing for up to a week – so I really didn’t have a choice. Being an opera singer has led to the social life of a nun! Basically I will be able to breathe fresh air and be happier in the knowledge that having fewer opportunities to smoke – some smokers will cut down – and it may save some peoples lives. The worst experience I ever had from being around smokers was in 2003 when I flew from Moscow to Pyongyang in North Korea on Air Koryo, it’s the national airline and the only one that flies into North Korea . The Korean travellers and around 15 Russian dancers were chain smoking for the 8 hour journey. My angry complaints about the smoking were ignored and as I expected the smoke caused a chest infection, I was ill and unable to sing for a week missing many of the formal engagements. As a teenager I was into sport in a big way and hated smoky atmospheres, but had no choice if I wanted to go out and meet friends. I tried a cigarette once when I was about 16, I choked. Mum, dad and my sister never smoked either. One of the worst experiences of my life was watching my granddad die of lung cancer due to his smoking. We watched him fade away to a shadow of himself and die a very painful death, it really was enough to put anyone off smoking for life. Before the opera however, I was a student studying A Levels and then a Business Studies Degree at the University of Teesside . I needed part-time jobs to help me financially so ended up working in a pub. Not being used to smoke my eyes would sting and water, my nose ran constantly, my hair and clothes would smell and after a long shift the next morning my chest would ache and I would cough up some rather unpleasant stuff. I eventually left because of the smoke, the only problem is that as a teenager you think you are immortal and don’t think of the damage its doing. There wasn’t a ventilation system at the pub where I was working in my teens and when I moved on to opera I noticed that many old theatres were not built to be easily adapted to modern systems. But that’s not the point – we don’t need ventilation systems we just need no smoking in any public areas! It’s the Roy Castle syndrome – you don’t see the damage, it’s invisible, but the effects eventually take hold and for some people it can be fatal. Smoking must be completely banned in ALL public places. It can only be done through legislation – a complete ban would make the situation clear and people would know exactly where they stand and there would be no confusion.
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Breathing other people's smoke is called passive, involuntary or secondhand smoking. The non-smoker breathes "sidestream" smoke from the burning tip of the cigarette and "mainstream" smoke that has been inhaled and then exhaled by the smoker. Secondhand smoke (SHS) is a major source of indoor air pollution. • The causal effect of exposure to SHS on risk of lung cancer has been confirmed by further original studies and by the authoritative review conducted by IARC. • The causal effect of exposure to SHS on risk of ischaemic heart disease has been confirmed and the weight of evidence is stronger now than at the time of the • There is a strong link between exposure to SHS and adverse health effects in children. “SCOTH’s conclusion is that knowledge of the hazardous nature of SHS has consolidated over the last five years, and this evidence strengthens earlier estimates See Factsheet 8 for more information on secondhand smoke and if you are an employee unhappy about the smoking policy in your workplace or the absence of one – Top tips for employees are some steps you can take that will help you achieve changes. You can also support comprehensive smokefree legislation by joining the Smokefree Action Alliance either as an organisation or an individual. Go to: www.smokefreeaction.org.uk
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Have you, or has someone you know, had a similar experience that you would like to share with us? Please contact us, your testimony will help.
Write to us at: 102 Clifton Street London EC2A 4HW
Telephone: 020 7739 5902 Fax: 020 7613 0531 |
Click to sign the petition on legislation on smoking
in the workplace
Click to find out
about other means
Click to download a
pdf leaflet prepared by
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