Facts on Second-Hand Smoke   "Total prohibition of smoking in the workplace strongly affects industry volume. Smokers facing these restrictions consume 11-15% less than average and quit at a rate that is 85% higher than average… Milder workplace restrictions, such as smoking only in designated areas have much less impact on quitting rates and very little effect on consumption." -- Internal Memorandum from Philip Morris, Bates Nos. 2023914280/4284 (1992) I. SECONDHAND SMOKE KILLS Secondhand smoke kills 53,000 Americans prematurely each year. Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States. For every eight smokers the tobacco companies kill, they take one nonsmoker with them. Secondhand smoke is classified as a toxic air contaminant. Even a little exposure can be fatal. All patients at increased risk of coronary heart disease or with known coronary artery disease should avoid all indoor environments that permit smoking. The effects of even brief exposure (minutes to hours) to secondhand smoke can be nearly as large (averaging 80% to 90%) as chronic active smoking. Secondhand smoke is as damaging to a fetus as if the mother were inhaling the smoke directly from a cigarette. Long-term exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of developing breast cancer in younger, primarily premenopausal, women. Food service workers have a 50% greater risk of dying from lung cancer than the general population, in part, because of secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace. II. VENTILATION IS NOT A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO GOING 100% SMOKEFREE Ask the experts; there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. U.S. Surgeon General has determined secondhand smoke to cause heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory illness. Also, a simple reduction of secondhand smoke does not protect against the disease and death caused by exposure to secondhand smoke. Smoke-filled rooms can have up to six times the air pollution of a busy highway. Secondhand smoke knows no boundaries. Nonsmoking sections and smoking rooms do not eliminate nonsmokers' exposure to secondhand smoke. III. SMOKEFREE INDOOR AIR LAWS WORK Smokefree air laws are a global trend. As of December 2005, more than 400 local municipalities, 15 states (including Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and Washington which enjoy 100% comprehensive smokefree laws in all workplaces, restaurants, and bars), and dozens of countries throughout the world (including Ireland, Norway, Australia, Canada, Bhutan, and New Zealand) have a 100% smokefree provision in all workplaces and/or restaurants and/or bars. In the United States, more than 39 percent of the population is protected by a 100% smokefree provision.  Smokefree air is good for health. Hospitality workers and businesses report improvements in their bottom-lines after smokefree laws go into effect. Almost immediately after implementation, hospitality workers report experiencing fewer respiratory and sensory problems. Studies of hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction in Helena, Montana and Pueblo, Colorado before, during, and after a local law eliminating smoking in workplaces and public places was in effect, have determined that laws to enforce smokefree workplaces and public places may be associated with a reduction in morbidity from heart disease. Smokefree air is good for business. All reputable studies have shown that smoke indoor air laws either have no impact or a positive impact on the economic health of businesses within the hospitality industry. In addition, going 100% smokefree indoors reduces maintenance costs and medical costs, legal liability, and increased worker productivity and moral. The Society of Actuaries has determined that secondhand smoke costs the U.S. economy roughly $10 billion a year: $5 billion in estimated medical costs associated with secondhand smoke exposure, and another $4.6 billion in lost wages. This estimate does not include youth exposure to secondhand smoke. Smokefree air laws are popular with the public and generally self-enforcing. To see the full text of this document, including references, go to http://www.no-smoke.org/document.php?id=237