BRDB offices declared tobacco free to protect public health

All 566 offices of the Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB), including its headquarters, have been declared completely tobacco free as part of a government initiative to protect public health and safeguard non smokers from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

BRDB Director General (Additional Secretary) A.K.M. Tarek announced the decision at a discussion meeting titled “Declaration of All Bangladesh Rural Development Board Offices as Tobacco Free” at the BRDB headquarters on Monday.

Speaking as the chief guest, Tarek said smoking does not only harm smokers, but also exposes non smokers to serious health risks. He said the use of smokeless tobacco products such as zarda, gul and sadapata can also cause serious diseases, including oral cancer.

He said the use, sale and promotion of all tobacco products, including cigarettes, bidis and smokeless tobacco, would be prohibited within the premises of all BRDB offices from Monday.

The initiative is aimed at protecting BRDB officers, employees and service recipients from exposure to tobacco and secondhand smoke and creating a completely tobacco free environment across the government agency.

DORP Founder and CEO A.H.M. Noman said Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of tobacco use in the world, with 35.3 percent of people using tobacco, the highest rate among South Asian countries.

He stressed the need for effective measures to ensure tobacco free workplaces across government and other institutions.

Presenting the keynote paper, DORP Tobacco Control Project Coordinator Zeba Afroza said data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2017 showed that 38.4 million adults in Bangladesh were exposed to secondhand smoke every day at workplaces, public places and on public transport.

She said around 42.7 percent of adults were exposed to secondhand smoke in covered workplaces, while more than 61,000 children under the age of 15 suffered from diseases caused by exposure to secondhand smoke.

Citing research by Johns Hopkins University, Afroza said the government earned around Tk 410 billion in revenue from the tobacco sector in the 2024–25 fiscal year. In contrast, the economic cost of tobacco use, including deaths, health losses and environmental damage, was estimated at around Tk 870 billion, more than twice the revenue generated by the sector.

She said tobacco use was increasingly threatening public health, the economy and the environment, describing the BRDB initiative as an example that could be followed by other institutions in building a tobacco free Bangladesh.

BRDB Director (Planning) Muhammad Iqbal Hossain said the organisation was committed to ensuring a tobacco free environment across its offices.

He said around 12,000 officers and employees working at about 566 offices across the country, along with nearly 30 million service recipients, would benefit from greater protection against tobacco and secondhand smoke.

He expressed hope that the collective efforts of BRDB officials and employees would strengthen the national tobacco control campaign.

Following the discussion, public notices, signboards and stickers discouraging smoking and tobacco use were installed at key locations across the BRDB headquarters.