Smokers, if you’re planning to smoke in Japan then you need to be careful! Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture has decreed that smokers are not allowed to take the elevator for 45 minutes after they take a smoke break.
Japan Today reported that Ikoma City will start enforcing this rule starting from April in a bid to make smoking more inconvenient for smokers. They are also planning to gradually reduce the available smoking areas in many public places.
Source: Japan Times
This new rule comes in place as they said that this is the optimum amount of time for a smoker’s breath to return to normal and harmful substances are expelled from the body. It is said that if smokers enter confined spaces after smoking, the remaining smoke smell will bring discomfort to other people. Guess they’ll have to take the stairs!
Posters claim that, “When coming indoors after smoking outside, it is said that it takes 45 minutes for the concentration of harmful substances in a person’s breath to return to pre-smoking levels.” Other posters advised smokers to minimise the smell, saying, “After smoking, you need to face downwind and take a deep breath before coming back inside.”
Source: Sofrep
Research has shown that it takes 45 minutes for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) to gradually leave the human body. However, it is unclear what is the penalty if someone chooses to ride the elevator without waiting for the allocated time to pass.
Recently on March 30, major fast food chain Mos Burger said that they would be slowly phasing out all the smoking sections in 1,300 of their stores nationwide by March 2020. This move has already been set in motion by other fast food giants in Japan such as McDonald’s, KFC, and Saizeriya.
Source: The Economist
Although Ikoma City looks like they are the first to announce this new rule, this idea may very well catch on with other prefectures in the future.
Maybe it’s time to give it up, smokers!
Also read: Company Gives Non-Smokers 6 Extra Days Off for Not Taking Ciggie Breaks
