Media Release

U.S. Food Service Employees Less Protected From Secondhand Smoke.  Workplace non-smoking policies good for health and business

Providence, RI April 14, 2004 - A new study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine finds that not all workers get the same protection from secondhand smoke.  The study, “Disparities in Smoke-Free Workplace Policies Among Food Service Workers,” finds that just 43 percent of the country’s 6.6 million food preparation and service employees and just 52 percent of all blue-collar workers are covered by smoke-free workplace policies.  Workplace policies cover fewer than 13 percent of bartenders and 28 percent of waiters and waitresses.  In contrast, more than three-fourths of white-collar workers are protected.

“All workers have the right to breathe clean air regardless of the occupation they choose,” said Patricia A. Nolan, MD, MPH, Director of Health.  “This study shows clear disparities between blue collar, food and wait-service workers, on the one hand, and white collar workers, on the other hand.  That kind of protection isn’t good enough for Rhode Island workers or for their families.  We need a comprehensive smoke-free policies that will protect all workers and all customers from the hazards of secondhand smoke.”

The report notes that in 2002, food service workers in the U.S. accounted for the fourth highest number of employees in the workforce.  One in five such workers is a teenager, 55.8 percent are female; approximately 12 percent are African-American and nearly 20 percent are Hispanic. 

 Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including 69 known carcinogens such as formaldehyde, lead, arsenic, benzene, and radioactive polonium 210 (EPA, 1993). It causes at least 38,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.  Children exposed to secondhand smoke are especially vulnerable, suffering more asthma, bronchitis, ear infections and other ailments.

 Workplace non-smoking policies protect health without harming business.  A recent report, released by the New York City Department of Finance, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of Small Business Services, and Economic Development Corporation, indicates that since New York City’s smoke-free policy took effect March 30, 2003, business receipts for restaurants and bars have increased, employment has risen, the number of liquor licenses has increased, virtually all establishments are complying with the law, the vast majority of New Yorkers support the law, and customers and workers alike are being protected from the harmful health effects of secondhand smoke. In another study from the 2004 Zagat New York City Restaurant Survey, which polled nearly 30,000 New York restaurant-goers, "the city's recent smoking ban, far from curbing restaurant traffic, has given it a major lift."  In fact, the survey reports that by a margin of almost 6-to-1, respondents said they are eating out more often because of the city's smoke-free workplace policy.

 Five states – California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine and New York – have now enacted strong statewide smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars, and Massachusetts is on the verge of doing so. Florida, Idaho and Utah have also enacted otherwise strong, statewide smoke-free laws that exempt stand-alone bars. A growing number of cities and counties across the country have also taken action.