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Smoke Free Air Ordinance
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<br />There is indisputable evidence that implementing 100% smoke-free environments is the only
<br />effective way to protect the population from the harmful effects of exposure to secondhand smoke. (World
<br />Health Organization (WHO), “Protection from exposure to secondhand smoke: policy recommendations,” World Health
<br />Organization (WHO), 2007.)
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<br />In reviewing 11 studies concluding that communities see an immediate reduction in heart attack
<br />admissions after the implementation of comprehensive smoke free laws, the Institute of Medicine of the
<br />National Academies concluded that data consistently demonstrate that secondhand smoke exposure
<br />increases the risk of coronary heart disease and heart attacks and that smoke free laws reduce heart attacks.
<br />(Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, Committee
<br />on Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Acute Coronary Events, "Secondhand smoke exposure and cardiovascular effects: making
<br />sense of the evidence," Washington, DC: National Academies Press, October 2009.)
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<br />A significant amount of secondhand smoke exposure occurs in the workplace. Employees who
<br />work in smoke-filled businesses suffer a 25-50% higher risk of heart attack and higher rates of death from
<br />cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as increased acute respiratory disease and measurable decrease
<br />in lung function. (Pitsavos, C.; Panagiotakos, D.B.; Chrysohoou, C.; Skoumas, J.; Tzioumis, K.; Stefanadis, C.; Toutouzas,
<br />P., "Association between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and the development of acute coronary syndromes: the
<br />CARDIO2000 case-control study," Tobacco Control 11(3): 220-225, September 2002.)
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<br />Studies measuring cotinine (metabolized nicotine) and NNAL (metabolized nitrosamine NNK, a
<br />tobacco-specific carcinogen linked to lung cancer) in hospitality workers find dramatic reductions in the
<br />levels of these biomarkers after a smoke free law takes effect. Average cotinine levels of New York City
<br />restaurant and bar workers decreased by 85% after the city's smoke free law went into effect. ([In.a.], “The
<br />State of Smoke-Free New York City: A One Year Review," New York City Department of Finance, New York City Department
<br />of Health & Mental Hygiene, New York City Department of Small Business Services, New York City Economic Development
<br />Corporation, March 2004).
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<br />After the implementation of Ontario, Canada's Smoke free Indoor Air Law, levels of NNAL were
<br />reduced by 52% in nonsmoking casino employees and cotinine levels fell by 98%. (Geoffrey T. Fong, et. al.,
<br />"The Impact of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act on Air Quality and Biomarkers of Exposure in Casinos: A Quasi-Experimental
<br />Study," Ontario Tobacco Control Conference, Niagara Falls, Ontario, December 2,2006.)
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<br />Following a Health Hazard Evaluation of Las Vegas casino employees’ secondhand smoke
<br />exposure in the workplace, which included indoor air quality tests and biomarker assessments, the
<br />National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) concluded that the casino employees are
<br />exposed to dangerous levels of secondhand smoke at work and that their bodies absorb high levels of
<br />tobacco-specific chemicals NNK and cotinine during work shifts. NIOSH also concluded that the “best
<br />means of eliminating workplace exposure to [secondhand smoke] is to ban all smoking in the casinos.”
<br />(Health hazard evaluation report: environmental and biological assessment of environmental tobacco smoke exposure among
<br />casino dealers, Las Vegas, NV. By Achutan C, West C, Mueller C, Boudreau Y, Mead K. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of
<br />Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
<br />NIOSH HETA No. 2005-0076 and 2005-0201-3080, May 2009.)
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<br />Smoke Free Air Ordinance
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