Californians Want Smoke-free Air in Outdoor Venues
Now that Californians are able to enjoy dining, shopping, and
working indoors without breathing in deadly tobacco smoke, they
are finding the noxious fumes harder and harder to swallow --
even outdoors. The result is, more and more California businesses
are voluntarily banning smoking in their outdoor areas.
Thanks to the California Smoke-Free Workplace Act of 1994 (AB
13), which made virtually all indoor workplaces smoke-free including
restaurants and bars, Californians have become accustomed to smoke-free
air. But now there is more smoke outside -- in eating areas, doorways
and other outdoor areas where the health and well-being of everyone
nearby is impacted.
"The fact is, 83 percent of Californians don't smoke,"
says Dian Kiser, director of BREATH, the American Lung Association
of the East Bay's statewide smoke-free bars project. "The
vast majority of Californians don't want to be subjected to secondhand
smoke, so the public is demanding that outdoor areas where people
gather be smoke-free."
Businesses and local governments across the state are heeding
this demand and enacting voluntary policies and local ordinances
that restrict outdoor smoking. This includes health facilities,
restaurants and bars with outdoor patios, shopping centers, parks,
playgrounds, zoos, and fairs.
"It's a courtesy to our customers and it seemed like the
right thing to do," says Joey Char, marketing director of
the Northridge Fashion Center about his shopping center's smoke-free
outdoor policy.
The shopping center posted signs in outdoor eating areas asking
customers not to smoke and established a designated outdoor area
where smokers can indulge.
"We haven't had any complaints about our policy," Char
says. "People who smoke are getting conditioned to having
their smoking confined to one area."
That's exactly how Disneyland decided to handle the issue. Smoking
is no longer allowed in the theme park, except in three designated
areas.
"We simply did it to accommodate our guests," says
Ray Gomez, director of public affairs for Disneyland.
Kaiser Decides Smoking Areas Send Wrong Message
Kaiser Permanente went a step farther and decided to make outdoor
areas completely smoke-free at all its Southern California medical
centers beginning January 1, 2000, and Northern California Kaiser
facilities are expected to follow suit. Smoking is not allowed
inside any Kaiser facility, and most went smoke-free even before
AB 13 was passed.
"Allowing smoking in specific areas has conveyed a mixed
message that it is acceptable to smoke as long as it is somewhere
else," says Gary Wong, MD, physician coordinator for preventive
care and smoking cessation at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California.
"We are unequivocal in our view that smoking is a dangerous
habit."
Not only is smoking dangerous, but so is breathing in secondhand
smoke, which consists of more than 4,000 chemicals, many of which
are toxic. More than 50,000 people die prematurely each year from
prolonged secondhand smoke exposure. Secondhand smoke also contributes
to childhood asthma and other illnesses.
Experts used to think that smoking outdoors was safe because
the toxic fumes would disperse in the outdoor air. But studies
now show that tobacco smoke rises and then descends and hangs
in the air where it can be breathed into the lungs.
Organizers of the California State Fair in Sacramento wanted
to make sure there were areas where families and individuals could
be free from unhealthy tobacco smoke this year. For the first
time ever they instituted a smoke-free outdoor policy that designates
certain areas as smoke-free zones, which include the petting farm,
kiddie carnival, livestock areas and the grandstands.
"We have been getting so many positive comments from the
public," says Nancy Fitzpatrick, health educator for the
Sacramento County Tobacco Education Program. "People want
smoke-free outdoor air."
Customers Request Smoke-Free Entryways
The American Lung Association is also getting calls from people
who are tired of walking through clouds of smoke to get inside
buildings, according to Kiser. Some local governments such as
Palo Alto and many businesses have banned smoking in entryways
for that reason. Smoking is also being restricted outside the
doorways of some large office buildings because their powerful
ventilation systems can pull in smoke every time the door opens.
John Shanahan decided to ban smoking in the outdoor area of the
Starbucks coffee shop he manages in Auburn because his customers
complained about the smoke. He says many of them didn't like having
to walk past smokers sitting outside near the entryway sipping
coffee.
At first he was concerned about losing some customers over the
new policy, but when he contacted Alan Hayashi of Placer County's
Health and Human Services he found that recent sales data from
area bars shows an increase in business since they went smoke-free,
contrary to some merchants' expectations.
"Business owners are finding they not only increase sales,
but they also save money on their monthly cleaning and maintenance
costs by eliminating tobacco use outside their stores," Hayashi
says.
The trend toward smoke-free outdoor venues is indeed contrary
to the dire predictions of the tobacco industry when the Smoke-Free
Workplace Act went into effect. Industry lobbyists tried to scare
business owners, especially bar owners, claiming they would lose
business. The fact is, bar and restaurant revenues are up, and
so is tourism in California.
"The vast majority of Californians want smoke-free air,
so it makes sense they will patronize businesses that don't allow
smoking," Kiser says. "The Smoke-Free Workplace Law
has been an overwhelming success, and the fact that the public
is clamoring for smoke-free areas outdoors reflects that."
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