Tobacco Use and Exposure
Smoking remains among the most pressing threats to America's health, and the Foundation is committed to saving lives by reducing tobacco use and exposure.
In pursuit of that goal, we are focused on advancing and sustaining policy changes that have been shown to prevent and reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke and to help addicted smokers quit. The number of Americans protected by law from the dangers of secondhand smoke is one indicator we use to measure our progress.
Currently an estimated 37 percent of Americans are covered by comprehensive clean indoor air or “smoke-free” laws—those providing full workplace protections without exemptions, including bars and restaurants. Sixteen states and Puerto Rico have passed smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars. Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio and Puerto Rico took action in 2006, joining California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington.
Hundreds of cities and counties have taken action as well, with Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Houston and Louisville, Kentucky, a major tobacco growing state, being notable additions in 2006. Following passage of New Jersey's landmark Smoke-Free Air Act, the Foundation joined with the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and public health organizations to support the Smoke-Free New Jersey: A Breath of Fresh Air campaign to increase public understanding of the health benefits of the new law and to help prepare businesses for the transition. The campaign included paid media, public education and outreach to businesses. Smoke-free laws are also sweeping the globe. In 2006 England, France, Scotland and Uruguay joined Bermuda, Bhutan, Ireland, Italy, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden as smoke-free countries.
In June 2006 the federal government released a landmark surgeon general's report on secondhand smoke. U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona stated, “The debate is over. The science is clear: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard that causes premature death and disease in children and nonsmoking adults.”
The report found that secondhand smoke:
- Is a proven cause of lung cancer, heart disease, serious respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and asthma, low birthweight, and sudden infant death syndrome.
- Contains more than 4,000 chemicals and at least 60 carcinogens.
- Is responsible for at least 38,000 deaths in the United States each year.
- Has no risk-free level of exposure.
The report also concluded that smoke-free workplace policies are the only effective way to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke; that other approaches, such as air ventilation systems and smoking and nonsmoking sections, are not effective and do not eliminate exposure; and that smoke-free laws protect health without harming business.
New research on the health impact attributed to smoke-free air policies was released in 2006. According to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, Pueblo, Colorado experienced a dramatic decrease in the number of people suffering heart attacks after the city banned smoking in workplaces and public buildings. Researchers compared admissions at Pueblo's two hospitals from 18 months before and 18 months after the comprehensive smoke-free ordinance took effect. Both hospitals provide care for all recognized heart attacks in Pueblo and the surrounding county.
In the 18 months following passage of the law, admissions for heart attacks for Pueblo City residents dropped 27 percent compared with the 18-month period before the ordinance. In the same period, heart attack hospitalizations did not change significantly for residents of surrounding Pueblo County or in the comparison city of Colorado Springs, neither of which have nonsmoking ordinances.
Together these measures mark significant progress toward eliminating a major threat to the public's health, but more needs to be done. We seek to have at least 50 percent of the total U.S. population protected from secondhand smoke by the end of 2007. We will use integrated strategies to help achieve this goal, including: (1) research that includes tracking and analyses of policies that affect tobacco use and exposure; (2) advocacy grants and technical assistance to states and communities for tobacco prevention and cessation; and (3) communications, including public education advertising, media relations, polling and message research, policy briefs, and news and information services to advance the public's understanding of research findings and support of advocacy efforts.
For additional information about our initiatives and objectives, visit www.rwjf.org/tobacco.
Municipalities with Local 100 Percent Smoke-Free Clean Indoor Air Laws, 1990–2007
SOURCE: American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation, 2007. Available at: www.no-smoke.org.
* Year to Date.
1 Includes both public and private non-hospitality workplaces, including, but not limited to, offices, factories and warehouses.
2 Includes any attached bar in the restaurant.
Since some municipalities have 100% smoke-free coverage in more than one category, the numbers are not mutually exclusive.
Includes all municipalities with ordinances or regulations that do not allow smoking in attached bars or separately ventilated rooms and do not have size exemptions.
Only ordinances reviewed and analyzed by ANR Foundation staff using standardized criteria are included on these lists. Omission of a particular ordinance may be the result of differences of opinion in interpretation, or because staff have not yet analyzed the ordinance.