"My mother was a waitress
in our cafe and was always around a smoky environment for many
many years, and she died of lung cancer... my mother never smoked
a day in her life."
Key Points
Secondhand smoke is a significant health risk for Minnesota communities – and for any worker or resident who is exposed.
All people who are exposed to SHS are breathing the 250 toxic poisons contained in cigarette and cigar smoke, including 11 that are known to cause cancer in humans.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General, 49,000 non-smokers die from secondhand smoke-related diseases each year.
Comprehensive smoke free workplace legislation will significantly reduce the human and economic toll of secondhand smoke in Minnesota.
Smoke free policies are the most effective way to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke. Air quality studies conducted in Minnesota communities that have implemented smoke free policies show more than an 80 percent reduction in harmful indoor air pollution.
Exposure to secondhand smoke has an economic impact on our health care costs. Nationally, secondhand smoke costs more than $9.5 billion each year in health care costs and lost productivity.
Smoke free policies not only help reduce non-smokers exposure, they also help smokers quit and prevent others from starting to smoke. That is a win-win for Minnesotans concerned about health and health care costs.
Everyone deserves the right to breathe clean air.
Currently an estimated 39 percent of Minnesotans are covered by some type of smoke free legislation. We need to protect the health of all Minnesotans.
