July 24, 2006—There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, concludes a new Surgeon General’s report. For adults, a major source of that smoke is the workplace. The report notes secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace has been linked to an increased risk for heart disease and lung cancer among adult nonsmokers.
Luckily more indoor workers are covered by smoke-free workplace policies than ever before. In 2001-02, nearly 70 percent of indoor workers in the United States were covered by smoke-free workplace policies, and 14 states have laws in effect that make private workplaces smoke-free.
The Surgeon General has concluded smoke-free workplace policies are the only effective way to eliminate secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace. Separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air and ventilating buildings cannot eliminate exposure, it said.
For more information, see the report on the Web site of the Surgeon General.
