A snapshot of smoking-related illness in the Brisbane area.
Cancer campaigners have renewed calls for smoking to be banned in all public places in the lead-up to World No Tobacco Day next Monday.
Queensland's Cancer Council CEO Jeff Dunn said they had written to Queensland mayors and called for a smoking ban in all public spaces, including malls, bus stops, ferry terminals, and taxi ranks.
"Banning smoking in public places will not only help to improve community health and general productivity, it will also improve the appeal of our regions and promote increased use of public space for recreational and tourism purposes," he said.
"Furthermore, a total ban will help reduce the costs of environmental damage from cigarette litter, raising Queensland's reputation as a great location in which to live and holiday."
But the proposal has had a mixed response from south-east Queensland mayors.
Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke said he would like to see smoking bans in all public places, but councils were limited in what they could legally do.
"This council is supportive of these sorts of bans," he said.
"I agree that people have a democratic right to smoke, but they also need to not to gather and cause a problem for other people that don't smoke.
"It's a matter of balancing those issues."
Cr Clarke said the tide of public opinion had shifted considerably in recent decades and that would likely continue.
"When smoking was banned in some offices in the 1970s, it was considered controversial but now it's legislated," he said.
"At that stage, they were still smoking in theatres, smoking in planes, it's a different world now."
Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said his council had already taken steps, including banning smoking in the mall.
But he thought a blanket ban could be counter-productive.
"If you start using the big hammer approach, the moment you try to force young kids to give up smoking, they just react the other way," he said.
"It's human nature - it almost becomes cooler to smoke because it's not allowed."
However, Professor Dunn said local regulations would help stop or discourage young people smoking.
"Evidence shows that the regulation of smoking in public places can help to reduce the prevalence of smoking and prevent tobacco related deaths in the future," he said.
Professor Dunn said about 32,000 school children, aged between 12 and 17, smoked in Queensland every week.
"Recent Federal and Queensland Government progress on tobacco control has been significant, but we need to take tougher action on tobacco control to save lives," he said.
"With the cooperation of councils, we can create a smoke free Queensland and end the tragic toll of nearly 3,500 tobacco related deaths each year."
Comment was also sought from Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman and Moreton Bay Mayor Allan Sutherland.
