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Passage 1 Worlds Nonsmokers Take up Fight for Cleaner Air In country after country, talk of nonsmokers rights is in the air. This fresh voice is heard from Australia to Sweden. Its force is freeing clean air for nonsmokers and tightening the situation for smokers. In west Germany, for instance, taxi drivers known for their independence post signs saying Nicht Raucher and may refuse passengers who insist on smoking. . . Bans in Poland prevent smoking in factories, offices, snack bars, and other public places. . . And Venezuelans can be fined $ 230 to $ 1,000 for smoking in supermarkets, buses, and numerous other places. Many countries also are moving in step to limit tobacco promotion and eliminate the false claims of the glorification of smoking as a habit.. . says Jean de Moerloose of the United Nations World Health Organization. While a majority of countries have taken little or no action yet, some 30 nations have introduced legislative steps to control smoking abuse. Many laws have been introduced in other countries to help clear the air for nonsmokers, or to cut cigarette consumption. In many developing nations, however, cigarette smoking is seen as a sign of economic progress and is even encouraged. While it appears that in developed countries the consumption of cigarettes has become stabilized, there are some indications that it is still rising at a steady pace in Latin America, says Dr. Daniel J. Joly, an adviser to the Pan American Health Organization. | 
