NYSA TI Single-Page 4
Handbook on Smoking Laws Regulations for Massachusetts Communities
Abstract
David P. Forsberg, Secretary of Health and Human Services David H. Mulligan, Commissioner of Public Health Gregory N.
Fields
- Named Organization
- American Cancer Society
- American Lung AssociationVoluntary health organization concerned with fighting lung disease, promoting lung health and advocating clean air, indoors and out.
- American Medical Association (physicians group)Professional trade group representing American physicians.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Chamber of Commerce
- *Department of Health and Human Services
- DHS (Department of Human Services)Department of Human Services
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- *Health and Human Services (HHS) (use United States Department of Health and Hum (US)
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- National Automatic Merchandising Association
- National Center for Health Statistics (Keeps statistics on health-related matters)Plaintiff
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health NIOSH (NIOSH)National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is NIOSH.
- Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- United States Department of Health and Human Services
- United States Environmental Protection Agency
- USA Today
- Wall Street Journal
- Named Person
- Carlson, Robert P.
- Connolly, Gregory N.
- Finkelstein, Stan N.
- Forsberg, David P.
- Land, Forest
- Logan, Edward Lawrence
- Marshall, Barbara
- Mulligan, David H.
- Smith, George A., Jr.
- Tager, Ira (ETS expert, U.C.Berkeley School of Public Health)Works with Children's health effects with ETS
- Weld, William F.
- Wood, Martha C.
- Date Loaded
- 18 Jul 2005
- Box
- 6384
Document Images
Handbook on
Smoking Laws & Regulations
for Massachusetts Communities
A~ ~ ~ ..,, Nonsmoking and Health
William F. Weld, Governor
David P. Forsberg, Secretary of Health and Human Services
David H. Mulligan, Commissioner of Public Health
Gregory N. Connolly, Di~ID, MPH, Director, Office for Nonsmoking and Health
Revised August I991
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Handbook on
Smoking Laws & Regulations
for Massachusetts Communities
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Department of Public Health
Office for Nonsmoking and Health
617-72%0732
Prepared by
Martha C. Wood
Assistant Director, Office for Nonsmoking and Health
William F. Weld, Governor
David P. Forsherg, Secretary of Health and Human Services
David H. Mulligan, Commissioner of Public Health
Gregory N. Connolly, D~[D, ~IPH, Director, Office for Nonsmoking and Health
Revised August 1991
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Why Local Tobacco Regulations/By-la~s are Necessary to Restrict Public Smoking
Secondhand Smoke .............................................................
Cazdiovasoular Effects ...........................................................
Respiratory Di~eas~ .............................................................
AHergi~s, HeadaChes, Irritation ......................................................
]/xposu~ to Secondhand Smoke .....................................................
M~ to Protect the Public Health ..................................................
Development of Indoor Air Policies
Technical Considerations .........................................................
tO
Retail Stoles ................................................................ 10
Restaurants ................................................................. lO
Child Care Fagilities ........................................................... 11
Public Transportation ........................................................... I 1
Workplac¢ ................................................................. 1
Cost to Employers .............................................................
Hffeotiveness of Ventilation ........................................................
Health Care Facilities ........................................................... 1~
Preventing Access to Tobacco by Children
Why Access Regulations Are Necessary ...............................................
Adolescent Smoking Prevalence ....................................... : ............
Laws .....................................................................
Fr~ Distribution/Reduced Pric~ ....................................................
Sales by Persons Under Age 18 .................................................... 15
Broken PacLs ................................................................15
Vending Machines ............................................................. 15
Advertising .................................................................16
Model Regulations
Section I- Authority ........................................................ 19
Section II-
Section III-
Section IV-
Section V-
Sect/on VI-
Section VII-
Section VIII-
S~ction iX-
Section XIV-
Definitions .......................................................
Prohibition on Smoking in Public Places ..................................... 20
Workplace .......................................................
Public Places/Workplaces En'forcement " '
Other Applicable Laws
~"
Tobacco Sales to Minors Prohibited ........................................ 23
Prohibition of Advertising of Tobacco Products on Transportation Vehicles ...............
24
Severability ........................................................ 24
Effective Date ..................................................... 24
Appendices
Legal Authority for Boards of Health to Restrict Smoking in Public Places ..........................
26
Current Massachus&ts Laws and Regulations Regarding Smoking ................................ 27
Noncriminal Disposition By-law ...................... :
............................. 36
Samples of Local Regulations Limiting Smoking in Private Workplace .............................
39
Bibliography ................................................................49
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Introduction
The Handbook on Smoking Laws and Regulations for Massachusetts Communki~ has been developed by
the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in respomo to requite &ore local boards of health on
how
they can best address the smoking problem. This is a joint effog betweon this offico and the many
boards of
health that have work~l to curb smoking. We urge all boards to adopt rogulafions such as those
contained in
this handbook. Action at tho local Iovd is critical to tho overall effort to protect the health of
the nonsmoker
and limit access of tobacco products to minors.
Cigarette smoking is the reading can,so of preventable death and disease in Massachusetts
causing an
estimated 11,000 deaths each year or 20 percent of all deaths in the state. Unless something is done
to curb
tobacco use, the epidemic of disease and death will continue far into the next century. Based on
current
smoking rates, of all the people alive in the state today more than 400,000 are expected to die
prematurely
from tobacco use. This is far more deaths than are expected to occur from alcohol, auto accidents,
AIDS,
and illicit drug use combined. Prevention of these tobacco-rdated deaths is one of the greatest
public health
challenges that we will face in our lifetime.
Effective intetwentions exist to curb tobacco use but have not been uniformally applied at the
state or local
level. These include policies and programs that prevent youth teem smoking, help smokers to quit,
and
protect nonsmokers from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. In combination, these interventions
can
establish social norms that discourage tobacco use and promote health.
More than 70 communities have passed regulations protecting clean air in public places,
restricting smoking
in the pri;,,ate work-place, and preventing children from illegally purchasing tobacco products.
Smoking in the
workplace is of increasing concern because of the initial classification of secondhand smoke by the
United
States Environmental Protection Agency as a class A carcinogen (causing cancer). There are only six
other
compounds that have been classified in this category including benzene, vinyl chloride, and
asbestos.
It is our hope that all cities and towns will use this book to promote a healthier, smoke-tree
environment. It
is through a partnership of local and state action that lasting change can occur. Local action will
set the stage
for passage of new state policies that will protect the health of all residents.
Gregory N. Connolly, DMD, MPH
Director, Office for Nonsmoking and Health
August, 1991
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Why Local Tobacco Regulations/Bylaws/Ordinances
are Necessary to Restrict Public Smoking
Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand smoke is a combination of sidestrsam smok~ produced by a lit cigarctm, cigar, or pipe
and
mainstream smoke exhaled by a smoker. About 80% of secondhand smoke is sidestream smoke. Tobacco
smoke contains m~re than 4,000 toxic chemicals including tat, nicotine, cvxbon monoxide, and
ammonia.
Sixt~n are known to ¢anse cancer, Since side~troam smoke is created at a lower temperature than
mainstream smoke, it contains higher concentrations of toxic chemicals. Cigarette filters do not
effect
sideslze~n smoke. The level of secondhand smoke in buildings is governed by the amount of smoking
allowed and the amount of ventilation. The Environmental Protection Agency ~PA) and the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommend restricting smelting to separately
ventilated
areas dkecdy exhausted ~o the outside, or by entirely eliminating smoking in a building.
Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke
S~condhand smoke causes or aggravates many diseases including lung cancer and hear~ disease.
Secondhand .smoke is the second leading cause of lung cancer, resulting in an estimated 5,000 deaths
per
yeas. A recent study e~timates that ll,000 additional Americans die each year from other forms of
cancer
caused by secondhand smoke, including cancers of the liver, cervix, nasal sinus, and blood
(leukemia) and
30,000 nonsmokers die f~om hear~ disease caused by exposure to secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke appears to be more efficient thaa direct smoking in producing disease per
microgram
dose of tar, This means that tbr the same tiny dose of tar, the nonsmoker may actually get sicker
than the
smoker who gets it by puffing on a cigarette. A possible reason t'or this is the different chemistry
in
sidestream and mainstream smoke. Another is the particles of secondhand smoke are smaller, allowing
more
of them to penetrate deeper into the small air sacs of the lung. Some of the tar deposited in the
lungs gets
into the blood and lymph systems, which circulate it to other parts of the body and allows it to
remain longer
in the body than tar from active smoking.
Cancer
Tobacco smoke contains 43 cancer-causing chemicals. The United States EPA states that secondhand
smoke
is a known cause of lung cancer. A recent study found that children who grow up in households where
cigarettes are smoked are at increaseai risk for cancer as adults. The researchers concluded that
household
exposures of both parents smoking tbr 12Vz years during a person's childhood and adolescence doubles
lung
cancer risks.
Tobacco smoke is the greatest indoor source of benzene, which is known to cause leukemia.
Secondhand
smoke accounts for about 5% of-the total benzene exposure nationwide according to the EPA. People
who
are exposed to secondhand smoke at work more than 50% of the time have shown significantly higher
breath
concentrations of benzene than those exposed less often. Polonium. another component of secondhand
smoke, is also carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Other carcinogens tbtmd in secondhand smoke include
2-naphthalene, 4-aminobiphenyl, and N-nitrosamines. N-nitrosamines are found in quantities up to 100
times
greater in sidestream smoke than mainstream smoke. Nonsmokers in an extremely smoky room tbr one
hour
can inhale as much N-nitrosamins as they would by smoking l0 to 15 cigarettes.
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Cardiovascular Effe~s
Unlike the devdopment of c~mcer due to secondhand smoke, which in humans seems to be a long-term
process, there are several hnmediate detrimental effects on the hem and blood vessel system. The
transportmion of oxygen by red blood cells is hnmediately hampered by the carbon monoxide (CO) in
secondhand smoke. CO is a colorless, odorless gas that comp~tes with oxygen for binding sites on
hemoglobin in red blood cells, thus reducing the ability of blood to transpor~ oxygen.
In lung and cardia~ patients, episodes of angina and acute shorme~s of broth can be provoked by
secondhand smoke. Just one cigarette can increase the level of CO from an average of 2 ppm to 8 ppm
in a
10 x 12 - foot room with the windows open. In people with narrowed coronary blood vessels, even
lower
-concentrations of CO can cause angina to develop earlier.
There is also evidence that passive smoking makes blood platelets abnormally "sticky" and more
likely to
ag~egate and form clots. Increased platelet aggregation plays a role ~n heart attacks as well as in
the
development of atherosclerotie "plaques," the fatty deposits in coronary artery walls that often
lead to hear~
attacks. Components of secondhand smoke may damage the inner walls of coronary arteries and initiate
or
accelerate development of these plaques.
Respiratory Disease
Another component of tobacco smoke is hydrogen cyanide which interferes with the action of the
tiny cilia
hairs in the lungs. It is also an extremely strong lung irritant and more potent than carbon
monoxide in its
abiIity to starve a person of oxygen.
Active smoking is a major cause of approximately 85 % of chronic obstructive respiratory
disease, but even
low-dose secondhand smoke exposure can cause problems. People who are exposed to various
occupational
hazards, who suffered childhood respiratory illnesses, or whose airways are shrunken or
hypersensitive are
more susceptible to chronic respiratory disease caused by secondhand smoke than people without these
conditions, Studies also indicate that people exposed to secondhand smoke as children are even more
likely
to have respiratory problems as adults.
Persons with long-term secondhand smoke exposure have pulmonary function test results equal to
those of
light smokers. Chronic secondhand smoke exposure significantly reduces the small aii'ways' ability
to
function. One study shows 200 to 300 women die in.this country each year from emphysema and chronic
bronchitis caused by secondhantt smoke.
Secondhand smoke causes acute and chronic respiratory problems, including pneumonia and reduced
lung
development among young children. It also causes more frequent ear infections in them.
Nine million Americans have asthma and 34 million have respiratory tracts that are sensitive to
cigarette
smoke. They must use public buildings, mass transit, and other public spaces. For them, tobacco
smoke is
one of the most.strip,us problems they face daily, contributing to this group's loss of 7 million
days of work
per year.
Allergies, Headaches, Irritation
Secondhand smoke is a common and aggravating factor in chronic sinusitis and post-nasal drip,
allergies.
eye irritation, coughing, and headaches. One reason for this may be the ammonia in secondhand smoke.
Ammonia is a powerful eye and respiratory irritant. Some people do not realize that smoke is what
causes
2

these problems, so they make no a~empr to avoid other peoplo's smoke. A Canadian s~dy found r~at
ong-fiRh of those studied had a health condition aggravat~ by secondhand smoke. The American Medical
Association estimates that as many as 34 million Americans are ~pecially sensitive m tobacco smoke.
Chemical analysis of the smoke ~rom pipes, cigars, and cigaxett~ indicates tha~ cm:cinogens are
found in
similar levels in each. Experhnem~l studies have shown tha~ smoke condensat~ from pipes and cigars
are
equally, if not more, carcinogenic than those from cigarettes, according to the 1989 Surgeon
General's repor~
on smoking.
Exposure to Sere. ndhand Smoke
The average person is indoors 80 to 90% of the time; thus it is essential to p'rotect the
quality of indoor air.
Where smoking is permitted, nonsmokers encounter secondhand smoke over an extended period of time
and
in significant doses. The EPA states that secondhand smoke represents one of the largest sources of
indoor
air pollution. It rapidly diffuses tkroughout a building and persists long after the smell of smoke
disappeazs.
As more than 28% of Massachusetts residents smoke, exposure to secondhand smoke is common in the
state. Factors that determine the tevd of exposure to secondhand smoke include the size of the room,
the
number of smokers, and the amount of ventilation. Nonsmokers' exposure will also vary depending on
the
amount of time spent in enclosed places where smoking is allowed. The simple separation by space of
persons in an enclosed environment may reduce but not eliminate the problem because tobacco smoke
rapidly
spreads throughout .the area.
Air filters have been suggested as a method of cleansing indoor air of smoke, but currently
there is no
cost-effective filtration system. Air filters are easily overloaded by continual smoking, so the
filters quickly
become clogged and ineffective. Smoke particles are so tiny that they remain suspended in the air
t'or a long
time. The only way to remove smoke from a building is to increase the exchange of indoor air with
outdoor
air, When smoking is permitted, the number of air exchanges per hour must be greatly increased over
the
number required if smoking is prohibited. Of course, the energ-y costs of exchanging air are
compounded in
heated or air-conditioned buildings.
Measures to Protect the Public Health
Cities and towns have the responsibility and the authority to protect the public from exposure
to indoor air
pollutants. Since 1981 more than 70 Massachusetts communities have passed local regulations
restricting
smoking because of the health risks and nuisance created by it.
Many communities have been reluctant to act because of the perception that people have a right
to use a
legal product publicly. This perception is not valid in light of the Surgeon General's 1986 finding
that
secondhand smoke causes disease among healthy nonsmokers. Based on this finding, cities and towns
have
the respo~sibility to protect the health of the nonsmoker by restricting smoking. Public attitudes
have also
shifted: the majority of the state's residents now support smoking restrictions. In the Department
of Pubtic
Health's (MDPH) 1986 Health Interview Survey, 67% of the respondents favored nonsmoking sections in
restaurants and 21% favored a total ban on smoking in restaurants, The same survey found that 67% of
the
respondents favored smoking restrictions in the workplace.
In some communities the initiative to restrict smoking came from citizens, while in others it
began with the
board of health. Boards of health have the statutory authority to promulgate smoking regulations.
Good
TI2567-0542

communication among the various municipal bodies is essential to the successful passage and
enforcement of
any regulation.
Enforcement of smoking restrictions has not be~n a problem and, in the case of restaurants, has
not affected
the amount of business. In a 1987 MDPH survey of 106 restaurants in Massachusetts communities with
smoking restrictions, 83% of the managezs reported the restrictions had no effect on business and 7
% felt
they gained patrons because of the restrictions. Only 8% felt they had 1o2 business. The communities
also
found few problems in implementing the restrictions. Some restaurants have entirely prohibited
smoking
voluntarily and report reduced bum damage and cleaning costs.
In summary, many Massachusetts communities have successfully passed local regulations that
protect thv
health of nonsmokers from the adverse health effects of secondhand smoke. Establish/rig a nommoking
environment may also have an important side effect: helping smokers who are trying to quit. The
findings of
the Surgeon General and numerous scientific studies should provide incentive for other communiti~ to
follow
suit.

Some Toxic and Tumorigenic Agents in Secondhand Smoke
Type of
Compound Toxicity
Vapor phase
Carbon monoxide T
Carbonyl sulfide T.
Benzene C
Fonnaldehyd~ C
3-Vinylpyridine SC
Hydrogen cyanide T
Hydrazine C
Nitrogen oxides (NO,.) T
N-Nitrosodimethylamine C
N-Nitrosopyrtolidin~ C
Particulate phase
Tar C
Nicotine T
" Phenol TP
Catechol CoC
0-Toluidine C
2-Naphtylamine C
4-Aminobiphenyl C
BerLz(a)anthracene C
Benzo(a)pyrene C
Quinoline C -
NNN (N-Nitrosonomicotine) C
NNK (4-(methyinitros~unino)-(3-pyridyl)- 1-butanone C
N-Nitrosodiethanolamine C
Cadmium C
Nickel C
Polonium-210 C
T = Toxic
C = Carcinogenic (cancer causing)
CoC = Cocarcinogenic
SC = Suspected Carcinogenic
5
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Srn s k986Prevalence
32% 34X 32%
Age Group
Male f77/1 Female
Massachusetts Department of Public [Health
6
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