The Shanghai government has begun spot checks in a bid to expand a smoking ban in public venues, health officials said yesterday.

Officials told a training course for 40 government departments on world-wide anti-smoking measures, that smoking control in the city was to be strengthened.

The city issued a rule to ban smoking in public venues in 1994 and amended it in 1997.

The rule classified eight kinds of places - including schools, cinemas, museums and stores with more than 200 square meters of business area - as non-smoking areas.

Officials said no public places had been added to the smoking ban list in recent years. But they said it had become an urgent priority in creating a healthier environment in the city to cover more public venues.

"The local municipal government has included the promotion of smoking control in this year's work report," said Zhang Liqiang from Shanghai Health Education Institute.

In China, about one million people die of diseases relating to smoking every year.

According to Shanghai Health Bureau, about 25.22 percent of local people smoke - about 49.92 percent of men and 1.24 percent of women. More minors and youngsters were taking up the habit.

(Shanghai Daily March 21, 2008)