The Case Against Unrestricted Smoking in Outdoor Areas

· There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke.

· Short exposure to secondhand smoke can cause decreased coronary flow velocity reserves, damage the lining of the blood vessels, cause platelets to become stickier, potentially increasing the risk of heart attack. Other health risks are also increased such as lung cancer.

· A smoke-free environment is the only way to fully protect non-smokers from the dangers of secondhand smoke.

· There is evidence emerging that secondhand smoke levels outdoors can approximate those that are known to cause serious diseases after regular indoor exposure.

· In outdoor stadiums the concentration and proximity of smokers to non-smokers can result in a significant exposure to secondhand smoke over several hours (if not less).

· Research has shown that outdoor tobacco smoke can be high during periods of smoking in locations where persons are near active smokers. For example, a non-smoker sitting a few feet downwind from a smoldering cigarette is likely to be exposed to substantial levels on contaminated air for brief periods of time.

· Outdoor tobacco smoke levels may be high in situations such as eating dinner with smokers on a outdoor patio, sitting next to a smoker at a sidewalk café, sitting next to a smoker on a park bench, or standing near a smoker outside a building.

· As one can see from the above commentaries and evidence, something as “innocuous” as standing next to a smoker outside a building can be deleterious to the non-smokers health. Therefore an appropriate distance restriction should be imposed in this circumstance. (e.g. 25 feet)