Conservative estimates find that exposure to secondhand smoke results in at least 38,000 annual deaths among nonsmokers in the United States. Of these deaths:
35,000 result from Ischemic Heart Disease.
 3,000 result from Lung Cancer.
(Data taken from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids)
Cigarette smoke is a toxic soup of more than 4,000 known chemical compounds. According to a November 2001 report issued by the National Cancer Institute, there are 69 known or probable carcinogens in cigarette smoke. Some of the chemicals include Formaldehyde, Benzene, Lead, Nickel, Arsenic, Polonium, Vinyl Chloride, and Furan.
(Data taken from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids)
 
Exposure of adults to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and lung cancer. (US Surgeon General, 2006)


Secondhand smoke increases the risk of an acute coronary heart disease event by 25-35%.
(International Agency for Research on Cancer, June 2002)
 
Exposure to secondhand smoke has also been causally linked to nasal sinus cancer and breast cancer in younger, primarily premenopausal women. (California EPA 2005)
 
Simple separation of smokers and nonsmokers within the same air space does not eliminate the effects of secondhand smoke. (US Surgeon General)

 		 The presence of secondhand smoke in the workplace should be a top concern for workers because while most deaths from secondhand smoke occur among family members of smokers, individuals exposed to secondhand smoke in the workplace are the second most likely population to die as a result of their exposure. (US Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program, Jan. 2005)
 
Workers are protected by law on the job from asbestos and other environmental toxins; secondhand smoke needs to be recognized as one of these toxins and treated accordingly. (American Heart Association)
 
Exposure to secondhand smoke is strongly associated with nighttime chest rightness and breathlessness after physical activity. It is also significantly associated with respiratory symptoms and asthma among individuals exposed in the workplace. (The Lancet, Dec. 2001)
Smokefree laws help the seven out of every ten smokers who want to quit smoking by providing them with public environments free from any pressure or temptation to smoke. (Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids)
 
Workplace smoking restrictions lead to less smoking among covered workers. (US Surgeon General, 2006)
 
Removing smoke from the workplace is accompanied by an increase in cessation attempts, a reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked per day by continuing smokers, and an increase in the success rate of smokers who are attempting to quit. (National Cancer Institute)
 
Workplace bans on smoking reduce its prevalence by 5 percent points and daily consumption among smokers by 10 percent.
(American Economic Review, 1999)


 		 Evidence from peer-reviewed studies show that smokefree policies and regulations do not have an adverse economic impact on the hospitality industry. (US Surgeon General, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure Tobacco Smoke, 2006)
 
Smokefree laws in Kentucky were found to be unrelated to business openings or closures in alcohol-serving establishments and non-alcohol serving establishments alike. (University of Kentucky, College of Nursing)
 
Data from the Delaware Alcohol beverage Control Commission show that the number of restaurant, tavern, and taproom licenses increased in the year following the smokefree law’s first effective date. Employment in the state’s food service and drinking establishments also increased in that time period. (Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, 2003)


In California, taxable sales receipts for bars have increased every year since 1997 – the year before California’s smokefree bars law took effect) through 2002 (the most current year in which full data is available). Total employment at bars and restaurants increased also during those years. (California State Board of Equalization, State of California Employment Development Department)
 
A 2002 survey of California bar owners, managers, assistant managers and bartenders found overwhelming support for the state’s smokefree bar law, with more than eight in ten bar managers and employees (83%) saying they think the smokefree workplace law protects their health and the health of other bar employees, and 77 percent of bar managers and employees saying that complying with the law has been “very” or “fairly” easy. (Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids)

Smoking costs Idahoans $319 million dollars each year in smoking-caused health costs, and $332 million annually in lost productivity.
(Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids)
 
Smoking accounts for $24.6 million in Medicaid costs in Idaho.
(Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids)
 
Each taxpaying household in Idaho pays an average of $519 annually in costs related to smoking. (Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids)

According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), with current ventilation technology, the only effective means of eliminating the heath risks associated with secondhand smoke is to eliminate smoking activity, not to ventilate. (June 2005)