CLEARING THE AIR ON SMOKING BAN

Publication Date: 2005-02-14

• Author:Editorial
• Publication:Philadelphia Daily News

THESE DAYS, smoking in restaurants has become so rare that sometimes the fastest way to get a table is to opt for the smoking section.

It's often empty, or if it isn't, it's filled with nonsmokers with the same idea. The same can't be said about bars: Even a short stint inside can leave a customer smelling rank, not to mention the 4,000 chemicals - 69 of them known carcinogens - included in every breath of secondhand smoke.

Restaurant and bar employees spend much more time than that experiencing "involuntary smoking," making it a serious workplace hazard.

That's why we now support the sweeping smoking ban in "enclosed" city workplaces recently introduced in City Council by Michael Nutter and strongly supported by Mayor Street.