Facts and Statistics

Know the Facts
What is Secondhand Smoke?
Is Secondhand Smoke Just a Nuisance or is it Harmful?
Are People of Color Disproportionately in Danger?
What is Smoke-Free Texas?
How many communities in Texas are covered by a smoke-free ordinance? 
How many are considered comprehensive?
What about the economic impact on restaurants and bars?

What is Secondhand Smoke?

Secondhand smoke is also called:

• Environmental Tobacco Smoke
• ETS
• Passive Smoking
• Involuntary Smoking
• Side Stream Smoke

Secondhand smoke is the smoke that comes from a lighted cigarette, pipe, or cigar and the smoke exhaled by the smoker. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke absorb the same nicotine and other harmful chemicals into the body as smokers do.

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Is Secondhand Smoke Just a Nuisance or is it Harmful?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified secondhand smoke as a Group A carcinogen, which means that there is sufficient evidence that secondhand smoke causes cancer in humans. Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds. More than 60 of these are known or suspected to cause cancer.² Six of the sixty chemicals are:

• Cyanide - used in the gas chamber
• Ammonia - used to clean floors and tables
• Formaldehyde - used in biological preservation
• Arsenic - used to poison rodents
• Carbon Monoxide - found in car exhaust fumes
• Benzene - used in industrial solvents

Environmental Protection Agency studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor levels of pollutants often are significantly higher than outdoor levels, and the Science Advisory Board has consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health.
Secondhand smoke kills over 53,000 nonsmokers in the United States each year.³ The chemicals in secondhand smoke can cause deaths related to:

• Heart Attack - Secondhand smoke causes blood vessels to narrow and harden. It makes the blood thicken or clot causing a restriction of blood to the heart, resulting in a heart attack
• Cancer - Secondhand smoke can increase the risk of getting lung cancer and nose cancer
• Asthma - Children exposed to secondhand smoke can get asthma or preexisting asthma may be worsened.

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Are People of Color Disproportionately in Danger?

According to the National Cancer Institute data, people of color have high rates of occupational exposure to secondhand smoke. Hispanic, Native Americans, and African-Americans are less likely to be protected under smoke-free work place policies since they are more likely to work in industries that enjoy the least amount of protection from smoking in the workplace - service, hospitality, and labor industries.
There is a 50 percent increase in lung cancer risk among food services workers due to secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace.
Levels of secondhand smoke are 1.6 to 2.0 times higher in a restaurant than in office workplaces. Levels in bars are 3.9 to 6.1 times higher than in offices. For a nonsmoker working a 10-hour shift in a bar, it is like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
In a national public opinion poll conducted in 2002, researchers found that compared to other groups, Hispanics and African-American voters are more likely to believe that:

• It is the right of nonsmokers to breathe clean air where they shop, work and eat.
• Secondhand smoke is more of a health hazard than an annoyance.
• Waiters and other restaurant workers have no choice about workplace exposure and deserve the same protections as other workers.

The same poll found that support for safe indoor air in the workplaces, public places and restaurants is significantly stronger among African American and Hispanic voters than for other voters.

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What is Smoke-Free Texas?

Smoke-Free Texas is a partnership of health organizations, physicians, community groups and concerned citizens committed to the protection of Texans from the substantial health risks of secondhand smoke. 

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How many communities in Texas are covered by a smoke-free ordinance?  How many are considered comprehensive?

• 28 cities (as of 1/22/09) have implemented or will implement the “gold” standard for smoke-free locations.  Their laws cover all workplaces, including restaurants and bars.
• These cities include Abilene, Alton, Austin, Baytown, Beaumont, Benbrook, College Station, Copperas Cove, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Flower Mound, Granbury, Houston, Laredo, Marshall, McKinney, Nacogdoches, Pearland, Plano, Portland, Robinson, Socorro, Southlake, Tyler, Vernon, Victoria and Woodway.

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What about the economic impact on restaurants and bars?

No scientific studies that we are aware of have shown that enacting smoke-free policies results in negative economic consequences. In fact, the evidence shows just the opposite, with states like California and New York showing improved overall business. 

The June 2006 U.S. Surgeon General report states that the evidence is clear that smoke-free laws protect health without harming business. Dozens of studies and hard economic data (such as sales tax receipts) have shown that smoke-free laws do not harm sales or employment in restaurants and bars and sometimes have a positive impact.

Smoke-free policies often cause smokers to cut down on their tobacco usage, which decreases the number of sick days for employees and also improves businesses’ cleaning and maintenance issues.

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