Secondhand Smoke

Research

Cigarette butts near building entrances: What is the impact of smoke-free college campus policies?
Researchers collected cigarette butts at community colleges with different types of smoke-free policies, and determined that college campuses that have 100% smoke-free policies have fewer cigarette butts littered across the campus compared to college campuses that do not have outdoor smoke-free policies. The authors believe that the study shows some evidence that 100% smoke-free policies are successful at reducing smoking on college campuses, which is important for the health of college students and staff. Click here to read the study abstract found in Tobacco Control.

Secondhand tobacco smoke: An occupational hazard for smoking and nonsmoking bar and nightclub employees
A new international study published in Tobacco Control indicates that both smokers and nonsmokers who work in bars and nightclubs where smoking is allowed have elevated secondhand smoke exposure. Researchers measured air quality and secondhand smoke exposure among bar and nightclub employees in 24 cities in the Americas, Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. The air quality data revealed that median air nicotine concentrations were significantly higher in smoking venues than smoke-free venues. Hair nicotine concentrations were positively associated with measurements of air nicotine concentrations in the venues, and this association was observed among smoking and nonsmoking employees. The authors conclude that comprehensive smoke-free laws protect all workers, regardless of their smoking status. Click here to read the abstract of the study.

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Reports

ANRF's updated smoke-free lists and maps now online
The Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation (ANRF) has completed its quarterly update of lists and maps of U.S. municipalities and states with smoke-free laws in effect as of January 2, 2012. The highlights include 493 municipalities that have smoke-free laws that apply to non-hospitality workplaces, restaurants, and bars. These laws protect 48.6% of the U.S. population. A total of 643 municipalities have laws that require bars and restaurants to be smoke-free, protecting 64.5% of the U.S. population. Including newly enacted laws, over 600 colleges and universities now have campus wide smoke-free policies. The full lists are available here.

Tribes develop tobacco-free policy implementation guides
In conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the Cherokee Nation have developed two new tobacco-free policy implementation guides. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians has developed a guide to facilitate the adoption of a smoke-free housing policy for tribal housing authorities. The Cherokee Nation has developed a guide to implement a tobacco-free policy for city parks. Click here to access the new guide on smoke-free tribal housing, or click here for the guide on tobacco-free parks. Both guides are also available here through the Tribal Smoke-Free Policy Toolkit, a product of the National Native Commercial Tobacco Abuse Prevention Network.

Secondhand smoke costs Indiana more than $1 billion a year, study says (IN)
According to study results recently released by Indiana University, the health effects of secondhand smoke exposure cost Indiana more than $1 billion in the year 2010, triple the previous estimate from 2009. The cost is driven by direct healthcare expenditures and premature loss of life. In 2010, Indiana had a higher percentage of smokers (21.2%) compared to the national average of 17.3%. The authors call for Indiana legislators to implement a comprehensive smoke-free law and stricter regulation of smoke-free areas in order to protect more Hoosiers from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Read more by clicking here, or read the full report here.

71% of Washington voters oppose special rule to allow cigar smoking in bars and restaurants (WA)
According to a statewide poll, 71% of voters in Washington State oppose creating a loophole in the 2005 Clean Indoor Air Act. The proposed loophole, which was introduced in 2011 and may be debated in the 2012 legislative session, would allow cigar smoking in bars, restaurants and some retail stores. Public health entities such as the American Lung Association and American Cancer Society believe that the loophole would undermine the goal of the law, which is to protect individuals from secondhand smoke exposure. Click here to read more.

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State Policy

Senator looks to clear air in bars, restaurants, public places (AL)
Alabama Senator Vivian Davis Figures has said she will introduce a constitutional amendment which will make public places, including bars and restaurants but not private clubs, smoke-free. The smoke-free legislation is aimed at decreasing secondhand smoke exposure. The Tobacco Free Alabama coalition is unhappy with Figures’ decision to exempt private clubs, as the coalition is seeking a comprehensive smoke-free policy. Because the proposal is a constitutional amendment, it would need to pass the State Legislature and then go to a statewide vote in order to be enacted. Alabama’s legislative session begins in February. Click here to read more.

California allows smoking bans in apartments (CA)
This month, a law goes into effect in California that grants owners of multifamily housing complexes the authority to enact smoke-free regulations. Landlords will be required to include where smoking is prohibited in rental agreements. The sponsor of the bill believes it will increase the availability of smoke-free rental housing throughout the state. Read more here. Click here for a fact sheet from Public Health Law & Policy, “How Landlords Can Prohibit Smoking in Rental Housing” (available in English and Spanish).

Statewide smoking ban proposed (IN)
Indiana Representative Eric Turner has introduced a bill that would make most public places and workplaces smoke-free. However, the bill would exempt gambling floors of casinos, betting parlors, private clubs, and cigar and hookah bars. Turner would prefer a comprehensive smoke-free bill, but believes that exemptions strike a balance that would allow for greater support among legislators. Even with the exemption of casinos, the casino industry has objected to the legislation because they believe the bill should allow smoking in the entire facility, not just on the casino floor. The Gaming Director of Governmental Affairs says that casino business will suffer from the current proposed bill. Last year, the House approved a smoke-free policy that exempted bars, but the bill was defeated in a Senate committee. The Senate Public Policy Committee Chairman Ron Alting does not believe a smoke-free policy will pass without an exemption for bars. Click here to track HB 1149, which recently passed in the Indiana House Public Health Committee, click here to read more about the bill, and read about the casino industry’s misgivings about the bill here.

Oklahoma state senator hopes to give communities more control over smoking standards (OK)
Oklahoma Senator Simpson has filed a bill that would allow each local government within the state to adopt smoke-free policies as the local government sees fit. Currently, the state smoke-free law is preemptive, meaning that local governments may not adopt stricter smoking ordinances than the state law. Senator Simpson believes that local governments and citizens should be able to choose their own smoke-free laws. The bill, SB 1032, will be taken up in Senate committee when the Legislature convenes in early February. Read more here, or read a statement from Senator Simpson by clicking here.

Lawmakers seek to ban smoking in cars with children (WA)
Washington Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles has announced that she will sponsor Senate Bill 5016, which would not allow people to smoke in cars if children under the age of eighteen are present. The offense would be considered a secondary traffic infraction, meaning police could cite violators only after pulling the car over for another reason. A similar bill was introduced to the Senate in 2008, but did not pass. As the bill stands, only verbal warnings may be issued for the first six months of the bill’s existence. Click here to read more, and click here to track the bill.

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International

Did smokefree legislation in England reduce exposure to secondhand smoke among non-smoking adults? (England)
According to a new study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, indoor smoke-free legislation implemented in 2007 decreased secondhand smoke exposure in nonsmoking adults in England. Researchers analyzed adult cotinine data, a biomarker for secondhand smoke exposure, which was gathered by the Health Survey of England between 1998 and 2008. The results show that cotinine levels decreased after the smoke-free legislation was implemented, although significant reductions were not seen in lower socioeconomic groups or in households where smoking occurs inside. The authors believe this study demonstrates the effectiveness of the smoke-free legislation in reducing secondhand smoke exposure, but also note that the subgroups whose secondhand smoke exposure was not positively impacted by the law should receive more support in order to reduce their exposure. Click here to read the study abstract.

600,000 people kick the habit in first year of Spain's extended smoking legislation (Spain)
Since Spain’s January 2011 implementation of smoke-free legislation which prevents smoking in indoor public spaces, cigarette sales have decreased, and hundreds of thousands of Spaniards have quit smoking. According to Spain’s National Committee for the Prevention of Smoking, 600,000 people have quit smoking, and 500,000 fewer cigarette packs have been sold in the first year of the legislation. Hospital admissions for heart attacks and asthma attacks in children have dropped by 10% and 15% respectively. The Committee also notes that tourism, which has increased by 7% since 2011, was not negatively affected by the smoke-free legislation. These results imply that the legislation was effective in creating a healthier Spain; however, the nation’s smoking prevalence is still 25%, so more work is needed to increase quit attempts. Read more here.

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