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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
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(1-800-232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
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2000 Surgeon General's Report—Reducing Tobacco Use
Clean Indoor Air Regulations
Disclaimer
Highlights
Minimal Clinical Interventions
- As reported in 1992 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), exposure to tobacco smoke in the environment can cause lung cancer
in adult nonsmokers. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) also has been
linked to an increased risk of heart disease among nonsmokers.
- ETS causes about 3,000 lung cancer deaths annually among adult nonsmokers.
- In 1997, the California EPA concluded that ETS causes coronary heart
disease and death in nonsmokers. Scientific studies have estimated that
ETS accounts for as many as 62,000 deaths from coronary heart disease
annually in the United States.
- The 1992 EPA report also concluded that ETS causes serious respiratory
problems in children, such as greater number and severity of asthma
attacks and lower respiratory tract infections. ETS exposure increases
children’s risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and middle ear
infections as well.
- Each year ETS causes 150,000–300,000 lower respiratory tract infections,
such as pneumonia and bronchitis, in children.
- In a large U.S. study, maternal exposure during pregnancy and postnatal
exposure of the newborn to ETS increased the risk for SIDS.
- Comparative risk studies performed by the EPA have consistently
found ETS to be a risk to public health. ETS is classified as a group
A carcinogen (known to cause cancer in humans) under the EPA’s carcinogen
assessment guidelines.
- Several studies have documented the widespread exposure of ETS among
nonsmoking adults and children in the United States. Testing nonsmokers’
blood for the presence of cotinine, a chemical produced when the body
metabolizes nicotine, shows that nearly 9 out of 10 nonsmoking Americans
(88%) are exposed to ETS.
- A 1988 National Health Interview Survey reported that an estimated
37% of the 79.2 million nonsmoking U.S. workers were employed in places
that permitted smoking in designated areas, and that 59% of these workers
experienced moderate or great discomfort from ETS exposure in the workplace.
- Under common law (laws based on court decisions rather than government
laws and regulations), employers must provide a work environment that
is reasonably free of recognized hazards. Courts have ruled that common–law
duty requires employers to provide nonsmoking employees protection from
the proven health hazards of ETS exposure.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is considering
regulations that would either prohibit smoking in all workplaces or
limit it to separately ventilated areas.
- The federal government has instituted increasingly stringent regulations
on smoking in its own facilities. On August 9, 1997, President Clinton
signed an Executive Order declaring that Executive Branch federal worksites
be smoke-free, thereby protecting nonsmoking federal employees and thousands
of citizens who visit federal facilities from the dangers of ETS.
- The Pro-Children’s Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–227, secs. 1041–1044)
prohibits smoking in facilities where federally funded children’s services
are provided on a regular or routine basis.
- As of December 31, 1999, at least some degree of smoke-free indoor
air laws were present in 45 states and the District of Columbia. These
laws vary widely, from limited smoking restrictions on public
transportation to comprehensive restrictions in worksites and public
places.
- Twenty states and the District of Columbia limit smoking in private
worksites. Of these states, only one (California) meets the nation’s
Healthy People 2010 objective to eliminate exposure to ETS by either
banning indoor smoking or limiting it to separately ventilated areas.
- Forty-one states and the District of Columbia have laws restricting
smoking in state government worksites, but only 13 of these states meet
the nation’s Healthy People 2010 objective.
- Thirty-one states have laws that regulate smoking in restaurants;
of these, only Utah and Vermont completely prohibit smoking in restaurants.
California requires either a no smoking area or separate ventilation
for smoking areas.
Additional Benefits
- An additional benefit of clean indoor air regulations may contribute
to a reduction in smoking prevalence among workers and the general public.
Studies have found that moderate or extensive laws for clean indoor
air are associated with a lower smoking prevalence and higher quit rates.
- The majority of smokers support smoke-free hospitals. Smokers and
nonsmokers were in favor of smoke-free workplace six months after a
smoke-free policy was implemented.
- Employers are likely to save money by implementing policies for
smoke-free workplaces. Savings include costs associated with such things
as fire risk, damage to property and furnishings, cleaning, workers’
compensation, disability, retirement, injuries, and life insurance.
Cost savings were estimated at $1,000 per smoking employee based on
1988 dollars.
- The EPA estimates a nationwide, comprehensive policy on clean indoor
air would save $4 billion to $8 billion per year in building operations
and maintenance costs.
Establishing Public Policy
- Involuntary exposure to ETS remains a common public health hazard
that is entirely preventable by adopting appropriate regulatory policies.
- To fight the establishment of such policies, the tobacco industry
tries to shift the focus from the science-based evidence on the health
hazards of ETS to the controversial social issue of personal freedom.
The industry has lobbied extensively against legislation to restrict
smoking, and has supported the passage of state laws that preempt stronger
local ordinances. (Preemptive legislation is defined as legislation
that prevents a local jurisdiction from enacting laws more stringent
than, or at a variance with, the state law.)
- A case study conducted in six states found that the existence of
an organized smoking prevention coalition among local citizens was a
key determinant in successfully enacting clean indoor air legislation.
- Smokefree environments are the most effective method for reducing
ETS exposure. Healthy People 2010 objectives address this issue and
seek optimal protection of nonsmokers through policies, regulations,
and laws requiring smoke-free environments in all schools, work sites,
and public places.
Disclaimer: Data and findings provided on this page reflect the content of
this particular Surgeon General's Report. More recent information may exist
elsewhere on the Smoking & Tobacco Use Web site (for example, in fact sheets,
frequently asked questions, or other materials that are reviewed on a regular
basis and updated accordingly).
Page last updated August 9, 2000