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Strike Up the Ban

Light up a cigarette on a public playground in New York City, and you’re breaking the law. But feel free to puff away among the play sets in Missouri, where smoking bans are some of the weakest (and least numerous) in the country.

In 1993, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a report finding second-hand smoke caused lung cancer in non-smoking adults and respiratory problems in children. The report supported previous findings by the U.S. Surgeon General and the National Academy of Sciences.

Since then, further research has shown that second-hand smoke thwarts cognitive development in young children and is associated with higher rates of crib death.

Research shows that smoking seriously harms (and can even kill) people exposed to the smoke second-hand. Some states have acted upon this information, making smoking in public places illegal. But many have been slow to respond to the scientific evidence.

As of May, only 11 states were considered “smoke-free,” according to the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation. These are states that had enacted universal smoking bans at workplaces and other public venues, including bars, restaurants and even parks where children play. In Arkansas, it’s even illegal to take a drag in your own car if you’ve got a baby on board.

Smoking bans even help those who are smokers quit, if they want to. quit. Some have reported a 30 percent drop in smoking after it was banned in the workplace. Research also shows that in areas with strong smoking bans, fewer people die from lung cancer; asthma attacks drop; and fewer people are admitted to the hospital for heart attacks.

None of which should be surprising. We’ve known for decades that smoking causes lung cancer and other respiratory ailments, and that it is powerfully addictive. According to polls taken by the American Cancer Society, a staggering 70 percent of the public wants more legal protections from smoking – a habit now engaged in by just 20 percent of those who live in this country.

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For more information on second-hand smoke, visit the EPA site.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org