![]() |
Action on Smoking and Health
A National Legal-Action Antismoking Organization Entirely Supported by Tax-Deductible Contributions
|
Report: Big Tobacco Conspires to Prevent Smoke-Free Bars and Restaurants
[08/14-3]
Excerpts from: Report Details Tobacco Industry Efforts Against Smoke-Free
Places
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
[05/29/03]
The tobacco industry has conspired to prevent bars and restaurants from becoming
smoke-free, says new research.
Cigarette manufacturers gave money to hotel and restaurant associations to
stifle discussion about smoke-free premises and they also preyed on fears that
a no-smoking policy would hurt profits, say researchers from the University
of California at San Francisco who analyzed tobacco industry documents
The researchers collected saliva samples at the start and end of the working day. They measured changes in salivary cotinine levels, which reflect the amount of nicotine absorbed by the body.
The employees exposed to smoke had significantly greater increases in their salivary cotinine by the end of the working day, compared to those who worked in a smoke-free setting.
Workers in premises with unrestricted smoking also reported higher prevalence of respiratory and irritation symptoms than those in smoke-free workplaces, the study says. More information:The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a host of information on secondhand smoke.
| Home Web Page | Search This Site | Learn About ASH | Why Join ASH | Comment on This | Email This Page |