Allegheny County Smoking Ban

This paper will examine the many issues associated with banning public smoking. For many years American citizens have been permitted to smoke in public places. As a result, smoking has been accepted as part of the 'normal' behavior. However, recent development of major issues concerning the many effects of smoking in public places has been in the forefront. These issues include many health risks for the citizens, effects on the economic system and the effects public smoking has on the occupants in the workplace and in restaurants. The scholars presented within this essay closely examine such issues. In addition each scholar supports his or her views with thoroughly researched information.

One of the major and most debated effects of secondhand smoking is the negative health effects associated with it. Cigarettes contain many harmful ingredients, which cause many negative health problems when they are released in the form of smoke. For example, "tobacco smoke contains many known carcinogens, there is plainly a rise that passive exposure to such agents could give rise to lung cancer in non-smokers" (Shephard 95). Along with lung cancer, secondhand smoke (SHS) has many other negative effects such as respiratory problems such as asthma, and many different types of cancer on everyone who comes in contact with it.

In the article "Secondhand Smoke Exposure among Middle and High School Students," the various ages that secondhand smoke affects is discussed, as well as the many health issues that were highlighted in Shepard's article. However, in addition to Shepard's article, this article clarifies that adults are not the only victims of secondhand smoke, but that teenagers and infants are also victims. In fact, due to their young age and undeveloped bodies, teenagers and infants are more likely susceptible to suffering more serious consequences from secondhand smoke than adults. As discussed in Shephard's article, second hand smoke often leads to lung cancer. Consequently, teenagers and especially infants are more likely to develop lung cancer, or some of the other health problems that are associated with secondhand smoke. Shephard suggest two reasons for secondhand smoke being a higher threat to young children. First, "young children are vulnerable both to air pollutants and respiratory pathogens because of a high respiratory minute volume per unit of body mass" (Shephard 99). The second reason is because "an infant or toddler has little opportunity to move away from a chain-smoking mother" (Shephard 99).

The negative effects that secondhand smoking has on its passive victims, like the ones discussed in Shephard's article, can even result in death. "Approximately 38,000 deaths are attributable to second hand smoke exposure each year" (Observational 307). These deaths include adults, teenagers, and even infants. The harmful chemicals that are discussed in Shephard's article and in the article titled "Secondhand Smoke Exposure among Middle and High School Students" are all causes of these deaths. As a result of these deaths and the many other negative effects of secondhand smoke, many states within the United States are trying to ban smoking in all public places. While several states have been successful at this, Georgia has not. One major reason is because Georgia does not have a state law that prohibits smoking in public places. By not containing a law that prohibits smoking in public places, it is very difficult to gain the public support needed to issue a smoking ban.

Although the state of Georgia does not have a law making it possible to ban public smoking, many other states do retain the power to ban smoking. Rachel Gecker's article highlights the states that have already passed laws that ban public smoking in places such as restaurants, bars and taverns. The reason that New York City, Dallas, El Paso, Denver, Philadelphia, and other cities have banned public smoking is because of the various health effects previously mentioned by scholars in this essay. For example, in Shephard's essay, he states that one of the main ingredients in tobacco smoke leads to lung cancer. Also, in the article titled "Observational Survey of Smoking Provisions in Food Service Establishments - Southeast Health District, Georgia, 2001," it is stated, "some of the highest reported exposures to concentrations of SHS are found in food service establishments" (308). By eliminating the large measure of secondhand smoking in food establishments, states are decreasing the possibility of the negative health effects mentioned in Shephard's essay and preventing the chances of deaths that are a result of secondhand smoking.

While the amount of secondhand smoking is reportedly the highest in food establishments, the amount of secondhand smoking is on a rise in other workplaces. Paul Frumkin examines the steps and reasons why the Northeast states in the U.S. are beginning to pass laws restricting employees from smoking in the workplaces. In addition to laws, the "Massachusetts Senate passed a budget package that contains a measure seeking to eliminate smoking in all workplaces, including restaurants, bars and hotels" (Frumkin 4). Other states that are beginning to ban smoking in the work place include Rhode Island, Maine, New Jersey, and New York. (Frumkin 4). This article by Frumkin gives support to Rachel Gecker's article by adding to the list of states already in the process of banning smoking in public places.

Although Frumkin states that the amount of smoke exposure is higher in restaurants than in the bars and workplaces, Hao Tang adds that smoke exposure is higher in the bars and taverns than in the workplace. To support his claim, Tang adds, "occupational exposure to ETS [environmental tobacco smoke] has been estimated to be 3.9 to 6.1 times higher among bar workers than among office workers" (611). Another important question that Tang answers in his essay is whether or not the companies or restaurants will economically suffer from the smoking laws that prohibit the employees and costumers form smoking. After many company and restaurant owners raised this question, several surveys were conducted in order to find the answer. The result showed that "the implementation(s) of the law have demonstrated that the smoke-free bar law has had no negative impact on retail sales" (Tang 611).

In addition to Tang's survey on the economic system due to the banning of public smoking, Andrew Hyland, at el., produced an essay supporting the idea that the economic system would not drop as a result of the smoking ban. However, "despite the considerable evidence that smoke-free regulations are not bad for business, policymakers continually cite that concern as a major reason for not