Second Hand Smoke

Research

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke causes respiratory symptoms in healthy adults
A new study lends more evidence to the negative health effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The study, released in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, followed over 1,600 never-smokers for an 11-year period. Overall, ETS was associated with the development of respiratory symptoms including wheezing, couching, shortness of breath, and chronic bronchitis. Click here for more information.

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Indoor smoking makes air 28 times more polluted
The National Cancer Centre conducted a global study that examined indoor air pollution from tobacco smoke in over 400 locations within 20 countries. The report revealed that the air quality in pubs and restaurants in Singapore, which allow indoor smoking, is 28 times more polluted than the air in smoke-free sites or outdoor venues. Starting next year, Singapore will ban smoking in pubs, clubs, and karaoke lounges. The Centre is hoping to push for a total ban on tobacco sales in Singapore in the next decade. To read more, click here.

Special smoking ventilation doesn’t really help
New research reveals that state-of-the-art ventilation systems, heavily promoted by the tobacco industry to remove cigarette smoke, do not eliminate dangerous soot or carcinogens from the air. In fact, they can cause the levels of these toxins to be present higher levels in nonsmoking sections relative to smoking areas. Overall, the study shows that dining in a non-smoking section of a bar or restaurant does not significantly reduce smoke related pollutants, even if the establishment has a ventilation system. For the press release, click here.

Air quality in Washington improved since expanded Clean Indoor Air Act
Air pollution in bars and restaurants has decreased by 88 percent in Washington since the expanded Clean In-door Air Act took effect last fall, according to a recent air quality survey conducted by the American Lung Association of Washington. The ALA of Washington monitored pollutants in the air of 35 bars and restaurants across Washington using state-of-the-art aerosol monitors to measure fine particles in the air. Samples were taken before and after the December 8, 2005 implementation of the expanded Clean Indoor Air Act. The Roswell Park Cancer Institute analyzed the data. For more information, contact Nguyet Tran at 360-236-3748 or at nguyet.tran@doh.wa.gov.

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Arizona:
 
Broad ban beats out industry-backed plan
Proposition 201 was passed by Arizona voters while competing Proposition 206 was not. Proposition 201, supported by the American Cancer Society, Heart Association, and Lung Association, which bans smoking in most indoor places, including bars and restaurants will go into effect May 1, 2007. The defeat of competing Proposition 206, which would have permitted smoking in bars, was an uphill battle, due to heavy financing from the tobacco industry. Click here to read more or, or to visit the Arizona Department of Health Services, Prop 201 information website click here.

California:
 
Belmont to be first U.S. city to ban all smoking
The Belmont City Council has voted to pursue a strict law that would prohibit smoking anywhere in the city except in single-family detached residents. Smoking would be prohibited in parks, on the street, and in one’s car. Police will have the option of handing out tickets as punishment. The actual language of the law is expected to be drafted and brought back to the council in early January. Residents have had mixed reactions to the proposal. To read more, click here.

Hawaii:
 
Hawaii smoking ban seen as one of nation’s strictest
As of November 16th, all restraints and bars in Hawaii became smoke-free. Additionally, newer restrictions took effect in public places, including a ban within 20 feet from all entry-ways. To remind people, business owners are required to post signs. The Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawaii estimates that the new law will save 500 lives annually. To read more, click here.

Indiana:
 
The smoking debate
Fort Wayne City Council President John Crawford will introduce a more restrictive city smoking ordinance. The council will not begin discussing the ordinance yet, but the introduction begins the council’s process of deliberating whether to keep the city ordinance as is; whether to follow the new county ordinance; or to toughen the smoking law even further. The proposed ordinance would ban smoking in virtually all non-residential buildings in the city, including bars, private clubs, bowling alleys and retail tobacco stores, all of which are exempt in the county’s recently adopted smoking ban. The only exemptions in the proposed city ordinance are private residences, private vehicles, some hotel rooms, specifically designated nursing home rooms and outdoors. Click here to read on.

Kentucky:
 
Madison County could get strong smoking ban
Madison County health officials are one step away from approving what could be one of the strongest bans on smoking in Kentucky. The regulation would prohibit smoking in all enclosed public places and places of employment, as well as outdoor patios and decks of restaurants and bars. If the measure is approved, Madison County would become the 13th community in the state to pass a public smoking ban since Lexington began enforcing its ban in 2003. Click here to learn more.

Minnesota:
 
Statewide smoking ban looks more likely
Minnesota may be on the verge of telling smokers that they can no longer light up in bars and restaurants. Advocates for a statewide ban on smoking say they are newly confident they have the votes to get such a measure passed now that the DFL, a big winner in last month's election, has gained firm control of the Legislature. Some predict that a ban, which Gov. Tim Pawlenty has said he would sign into law, could be enacted in the first weeks after the legislative session begins in January. For more information, click here.

Nebraska:
 
Some bar owners benefit from smoking ban
Bar owners, even those opposed to the ban, are reporting that the recently passed bar and restaurant smoking ban in Omaha, Nebraska, has had a positive impact. The ban has turned some former smoky bars into family friendly restaurants, where additional food sales are making up for lost late night bar business. In the initial weeks after implementation, profits fluctuated between 20 and 25 percent; however, bar owners now report that the numbers are leveling out. While some bars are banning smoking, others have decided to stop selling food, since under the ordinance, bars that do not sell food are exempt. Click here to read more.

Nevada:
 
Questions 4 & 5: Voters blow through smoke
Nevada voters defeated the tobacco industry backed Question 4 while approving Question 5, the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act, paving the way for Nevada’s restaurants and bars to become smoke-free sometime after the end of November. Nevada joins nearly a dozen other states with smoking bans in bars and restaurants. To read the press release, click here.

Ohio:
 
Ohio says ‘Snuff it out’
Voters in Ohio approved the stiffer of two competing clean indoor air legislation items. Issue 4, backed by R.J. Reynolds and nightclub owners, was defeated, while Issue 5 was approved. Issue 5, which prohibits smoking in all restaurants, public places, and workplaces; to read more, click here.  To read a memo from Ohio Department of Health Director J. Nick Baird, MD, clarifying the effective date of the law, click here.

South Carolina:
 
Columbia to exempt bars from smoking ban
Columbia City Council voted 4-3 to ban smoking in public places, with a handful of exceptions, including bars, motel rooms designated for smoking, and retail tobacco stores. The ban is intended to be a compromise between those favoring a smoke-free environment and those opposed to such bans. Click here to read more.
 
Beaufort County passes smoking ban
Smoking in indoor workplaces -- including bars and restaurants -- in unincorporated Beaufort County will be banned beginning Jan. 10, following the Beaufort County Council's final vote on the measure. Beaufort County is the first county in the state to adopt a public smoking ban, though Lexington and Richland counties are considering bans. Additionally, at least six state municipalities -- Beaufort, Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, Charleston, Clemson and Liberty -- are considering or will consider smoking bans. Columbia, Sullivan's Island and Greenville have already passed smoking bans but are facing legal challenges. Click here for more information.

Texas:
 
Smoking banned in public places in city of Socorro
Socorro's city council voted to ban smoking in all public places within the city. Mayor Trini López said the council voted unanimously to pass the ordinance, which banned smoking in city buildings and vehicles, as well as the town's bars and restaurants. López said many people came to the city council meeting because of the ordinance.  Click here to read more.

Virginia:
 
Smoking ban likely to hit Norfolk in early ‘07
A majority of the City Council said it wants the city to become the first in Hampton Roads, and perhaps the first in Virginia, to ban smoking in all restaurants. To read the full article, click here.

Washington:
 
Clark County Washington elevates smoke-free rental housing efforts
Clark County, Washington Public Health is boosting awareness about the need for, and availability of, smoke-free rental housing in Southwest Washington. A recent regional smoke-free rental housing study, conducted by Clark County Public Health, American Lung Association of Oregon, and Multnomah County (Oregon) Health Department, indicated a strong consumer demand for smoke-free properties in the Vancouver-Portland area. Of the 400 renters surveyed in Clark and nearby Oregon counties, an overwhelming 75 percent indicate that “other things being equal” they would choose to live in smoke-free housing. The survey showed that 73 percent of tenants support landlords prohibiting tenants from smoking in their own residences. In addition, the county health department, in partnership with the Tobacco Free Coalition of Clark County, Community Choices 2010, and Steps to a Healthier Clark County, recently released the Guide to Smoke-free Housing in Clark County, which was created to help renters locate smoke-free rental homes. For more information, contact Theresa Cross at 360-397-8000 ext. 7378, or theresa.cross@clark.wa.gov.

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American Medical Association adopts new policy on smoke-free meetings
At its semi-annual policy-making meeting, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a policy which requires all AMA meetings and conferences to be held in communities and states that have comprehensive legislation requiring smoke-free worksites and public places, including restaurants and bars. This new policy reflects the AMA’s stand against exposure to second hand smoke. To read the AMA press release, click here.

Don’t Pass Gas PSAs
The Don’t Pass Gas campaign, launched in January 2005, was designed to educate parents about the dangers of secondhand smoke and motivate them to create smoke-free environments for their families.  Two new television PSAs were released in mid-November; click here to access the ads.  

Congress could become rolled into smoking ban
In January, the nation's capital will join several other states and metropolitan areas in barring smoking in restaurants, bars and lounges. And if a powerful California Democrat has his way, the ban will extend to one of the most exclusive hallways in Congress. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., is the incoming chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, and for years, he has been on an anti-smoking crusade. Click here to read on.

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Australia:
 
Study shows benefit from anti-smoking laws
In Queensland, Australia, new research reveals that the new-anti smoking laws may have helped 14,000 smokers quit. The law, prohibiting smoking in pubs, clubs, and outdoor eating and drinking establishments became effective in July 2006. In the recent survey of 500 people, two percent of smokers reported that they had successfully quit as a result of the new legislature, which translates into 14,000 smokers across the Queensland population. The poll also revealed that 22 percent of smokers had attempted to quit as a result of the new law. Finally, 21 percent reported that they visited pubs and clubs more often as a result of the legislature while only 10 percent reported that the laws had turned them off to pubs and clubs.  Click here to read the full article.

Canada:
 
Nova Scotia prepares for public smoking ban
Nova Scotia’s province-wide smoking ban took effect on December 1st, making it illegal to smoke in restaurants, bars, patios or any other public places. Known as the Smoke-Free Places Act, the legislation is regarded as the toughest in the country. Click here for more information.
 
Butt ban sparks people to quit: Study
A survey of 1,244 Ontario and Quebec residents reveals that province-wide smoking bans have resulted in one in five smokers dropping the habit. The Smoke-Free Ontario ban and a similar ban in Quebec were put into effect June 1st, 2006. For the press release, click here.

China:
 
China to revise regulations to ban smoking in public areas
China's Ministry of Health is to revise regulations in order to ban smoking in public areas, public transport and indoor work places. Ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an said it had started a revision of the regulations on health management in public areas, which would be submitted to the central government for examination and approval. The revision is designed to offer policy support in the run-up to a non-smoking Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. Click here to read more.

Germany:
 
Why Germany balks at European Union smoking ban
German lawmakers agreed to implement a nationwide smoking ban in restaurants, discos, and other public places. However, two days after the announcement, leaders of Germany’s grand coalition government, which devised the ban, warned that they may not have the authority to enact it yet and put the plan on hold indefinitely. The reversal follows the trend of recent false starts anti-tobacco legislation in Germany, which has resisted European Union pressure to limit smoking. Click here to read more.
 
Berlin smoking ban hoped to set example for rest of Germany
Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit’s Social Democrats and their coalition partners, the Left Party, are moving ahead with plans to make Berlin smoke-free. The bill, which could take effect as early as 2007, prohibits smoking in public buildings, hospitals, bars, and restaurants. It is likely to find a lot of opposition in a country that is known for its tolerance of smoking. To read more, click here.

United Kingdom:
 
Smoking ban good for sales says pub firm
Worries that Scotland’s smoking ban would affect pub profits was put to rest by one of the country’s leading pub chains, JD Wetherspoon. The chain, which operates 39 pubs in Scotland, revealed a 5.2 percent rise in sales in the past three months, attracting new customs and increasing the sale of food. Click here to read more.
 
Pub firm rides out smoke impact
The pub firm Mitchells & Putlers, which operates over 2,000 pubs in the United Kingdom, has reported that early signs of the impending smoking ban in England and Wales will only have a limited impact on business. Ahead of schedule, the firm has already changed 200 pubs to comply with the non-smoking ordinance that will take effect next year. They reported that sales growth in these locations was only 1% lower than in pubs where smoking was still permitted. Additionally, the firm’s Scottish pubs sales, where smoking is already prohibited, have risen 1%. Company representatives indicated that larger pubs that serve high-quality food will benefit from the new laws, while smaller outfits with a bias toward beer sales could suffer. For the full news story, click here.
 
Cigarette sales up 5% despite smoking ban
In Scotland, cigarette sales have increased by 5% since the ban on smoking in public places was introduced earlier this year. Politicians and health experts had expected that there would be a drop in the number of smokers and amount of tobacco being smoked. However, cigarette sales have increased by over more than 61,000 packs a week. The trend, also observed in other countries that have banned public smoking, is thought to be driven by people smoking more at home. Click here to read more.

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