The Chinese government began imposinglimited bans on smoking in public areas in 1985.

BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua)-- An increasing number of Chinese people are becoming victims of second-hand smoke. To combat the problem, a conference in Beijing of environmental protection NGOs has called for the creation of smokeless environments in public places.

These people may look satisfied and happy. But a lot of other people are not -- especially when clouds of second-hand smoke end up in their faces.

The consequences of passive smoking are a hot topic at the on-going annual meeting of environmental NGOs in Beijing.

Li Hengyuan, Deputy Secretary of All-China Environmental Federation, said, "The health of second-handed smokers is greatly harmed by environmental tobacco smoke. It contains more than 4,000 chemical elements, among which over 40 can cause cancers."

The Chinese government began imposinglimited bans on smoking in public areas in 1985. The government is hoping to create non-smoking environments in public places like hotels and restaurants. But current regulations don't do enough to crack down on offenders.

Li Hengyuan said, "In China, there is not a law on banning smoking in public places. In many foreign countries, smokers are not allowed to smoke in all roofed places, even including their own homes. China lags behind in enacting strict laws that protect non-smokers. "

In China, it's estimated that 540-million people are unwilling passive smokers victims of the quarter of the population who smoke.

Given its huge population of smokers, China certainly faces many obstacles to get them to kick their habit. Regulations can force them not to smoke in public places. But the point is how to get them to quit voluntarily for the sake of their own health.