EDITORIAL: WHAT'S NEW FROM HEALTHY U: Second-hand smoke kills thousands of nonsmokers each year

Publication Date: 2006-05-22

• Publication:Salisbury (MD) Daily Times

In Maryland, only 19.8 percent of adults smoke, yet all residents pay the price for this poor health choice. They pay in compromised lung health, and in dollars. The economic impact of secondhand smoke in Maryland in 2005 was nearly $600 million according to a study by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for the American Cancer Society. The average Maryland household's share of the burden from smoking-caused government expenditures is $590 per household.

Many laws mandate protection for citizens -- seat belt safety laws, bicycle helmet laws, drinking and driving laws, and even health codes that require bars and restaurants to abide by certain food and worker safety standards--all in the name of improving public health. Given this fact, protecting all workers and the public from a known hazardous substance -- second-hand smoke -- as is typically done for asbestos, radon, benzene, etc., should be a seemingly easy decision.

Yet, to date no comprehensive state law has been passed in Maryland to protect nonsmokers in bars or restaurants. However, there are steps you can take to protect your health and that of your family.