Second-Hand Smoke In Restaurants

I just came across a fascinating article about second-hand smoke in certain establishments that I thought would be of particular interest to you. I know you've worked in restaurants where smoking is allowed but maybe after reading this article you may be more discriminating of where you choose to work. The article is a scientific study done to find out if smoking in the workplace presents a substantial risk to workers, particularly to workers who are working in highly exposed areas such bars and restaurants.

One important term you will need to have knowledge of before reading this article are carcinogens. A carcinogen is any substance or agent that promotes cancer. Carcinogens are present everywhere. Carcinogens can be carried into the body by air, food and water where they can alter or damage human cells. The intake of carcinogens can create a hazardous situation for contracting cancer and the progression of the disease. A few examples of carcinogenic substances are tobacco, alcohol, and aflatoxin which can be found in nuts or peanut butter. Carcinogens may cause cancer by altering cellular metabolism or damaging DNA in cells which interferes with normal biological processes. They can be drunk, inhaled, eaten or absorbed through the skin. Carcinogens can be considered mutagen or non-mutagen. Mutagens have high potential to damage DNA. They are able to introduce genetic flaws which initiate or contribute to the initiation of cancer. Non-mutagenic carcinogens do not alter DNA. However, they do cause cell death. As a reaction, the body regenerates cells for the lost cells. Anytime, cells divide it is an opportune time to introduce a mutation. Even though the way carcinogens cause cancer is still not completely understood, researchers believe that humans and other animals must be exposed to a carcinogen for a certain period of time and at a high enough concentration for cancer to occur. (Phillis and Goodwin, 2003)

One process you will also need to be familiar with is the scientific method which was used for the scientific study. It involves a series of steps which include the observation of phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis concerning the

phenomena, experimentation to demonstrate the truth or falseness of the hypothesis and a conclusion that validates or modifies the hypothesis. In the case of this study experiments were done in order to find out if those who worked in smoke-free establishments had more or less carcinogens in their system than those who worked in places where smoking was allowed.

The study referenced to in the article compares the level of a tobacco-specific carcinogen in nonsmokers who work in restaurants that allow smoking with that of employees in restaurants that ban it. The study indicated that restaurant workers exposed to tobacco smoke on the job were more likely to have a noticeable level of NNK, a carcinogen connected to the development of lung cancer, than those who worked in tobacco-free environments. The study was done on 52 nonsmoking employees of bars and restaurants that allowed smoking. They compared NNK levels in the workers' urine with 32 workers in areas where indoor smoking was banned. The results of this study found that nonsmoking employees who were exposed to tobacco smoke in the workplace had elevated levels of carcinogen NNK. Carcinogen NNK is considered a dangerous carcinogen, and is found in the body only as a result of using tobacco or breathing secondhand smoke.

The study also reflects that levels of carcinogen NNK continue to increase the longer the employee works in a place where smoking is allowed. "This is the first study to show increases in NNK as a result of a brief workplace exposure, and that levels of this powerful carcinogen continue to increase the longer the person works in a place where smoking is permitted," according to Michael