Let’s give our smoke-free workplace ordinance a chance to work
The health hazards of second-hand smoke (SHS) are now recognized by every major health and science-based organization in the United States. The ordinance for Columbia was shaped after thousands of hours of review of this literature by members of the Columbia Board of Health, the City Council and the community.
Why is second-hand smoke so dangerous?
SHS is dangerous because it’s toxic. It’s a Group A carcinogen—an agent known to cause cancer in humans. It contains 4,000 chemical compounds that are released into the air, 69 of which are known carcinogens. Each year, SHS causes at least 35,000 deaths in nonsmokers in the United States, and is directly related to illness and disease in more than a million other persons.
How much exposure to SHS is too much?
While longer exposure to concentrated levels of second-hand smoke in a smoky bar or restaurant are clearly worse, research is now showing that even brief exposure to second-hand smoke can be dangerous. In five minutes of exposure, the arteries that circulate blood through your heart stiffen just as much if you’d smoked a cigarette. After 20 minutes, blood platelets look like a pack-a-day smoker’s, making your blood “sticky” and contributing to stroke causing blood clots. After 30 minutes of exposure, your body’s ability to handle LDL or “bad cholesterol” is diminished.
Why did Columbia adopt a smoke-free workplace ordinance?
1. Because it works. Smoke-free indoor workplace ordinances lead to clean indoor air and are the single most effective means of protecting employees and patrons from the damaging effects of SHS. Historically, bars and restaurants are smoky workplaces. Compared to office workplaces, second-hand smoke levels are approximately 160 to 200 percent higher in restaurants and 400 to 600 percent higher in bars. Constant exposure to SHS increases the risk of heart attack by almost 200 percent.
2. Smoke-free policies are popular. A majority of Columbians currently prefer smoke free-workplace policies inclusive of restaurants and bars. If Columbia is like the many other communities with longstanding smoke-free ordinances, support will increase as time moves forward. Smoke-free policies do nothing to get in the way of enjoying a good meal or drink, music and dancing, or fun times with family and friends. As public awareness of the health hazards associated with second-hand smoke become more evident, support continues to grow.
3. Columbians will be healthier and spend less money on tobacco-related illnesses. Communities that implement smoke-free workplace ordinances can experience a significant decrease in heart attacks as well as other smoking-related illnesses. For example, citizens of Helena, Mont., voted to regulate smoking out of all workplaces. Six months later the state legislature rescinded the ban. During the six months the ordinance was in place, heart attack rates dropped by 58 percent. Once the ordinance was lifted, the heart-attack rate went back to previous levels. Further, when new workplace smoking policies are put into place, more people quit smoking. Fewer children initiate smoking in communities with comprehensive smoke-free workplace policies compared to similar communities without such policies. These positive effects of smoke-free policies decrease the amount of money necessary to treat tobacco-related illness.
4. It supports Columbia values. When we market Columbia to potential quality employers, we highlight our ample parks and green spaces, our interconnected bike trails, our clean environment, quality education for all, the Youseum, our access to health care, etc. The smoke-free workplace ordinance is a public health policy that demonstrates how Columbians value the health of all our citizens and visitors.
What about the economic health of our community?
Thousands of communities across America, many like Columbia, have adopted smoke-free workplace ordinances, and to date none have experienced economic loss, and many have experienced some economic gain. Even Zaggot, the most popular restaurant evaluation guide in America, says “We surveyed more than 115,000 people for our 2006 America’s Top Restaurants guide and found that 89 percent of Americans think smoking should be banned in restaurants.”
Studies of sales tax data from 81 localities in six states have consistently demonstrated that ordinances restricting smoking in restaurants had no effect on restaurant revenues. The Kansas City Chamber of Commerce recently endorsed smoke-free workplaces ordinances, stating in part that “the legal implications are becoming stark. A non-smoker consistently exposed to second-hand smoke is now clearly at risk and may well have grounds for legal redress if they were forced to work in an environment where they were exposed to the smoke of others… Failure to protect employees from passive smoke will become a serious human resources matter.” From 2000 to 2004, Missouri’s average annual economic cost due to tobacco related illnesses included: $2.42 billion in lost productivity and $2.13 billion in treatment for smoking-related illnesses (Source: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services).
The Columbia City Council, with input from the Board of Health and citizens, has made a wise decision to enact an ordinance aimed at protecting the health of Columbia employees who were exposed to second-hand smoke, while exacting little or no cost to businesses. It’s time to give the ordinance a chance to work.
—Dean Andersen, Co-Chair, Smokefree Air For Everyone (SAFE)