Clearing The Air

Thursday, April 07, 2011

State supreme court to finally hear case of constitutionality (or not) of smoking ban

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge brought by a bar owner against the state's ban against smoking in workplaces, a court spokesman said Wednesday.

The owner of Zeno's Victorian Village, a tavern in Columbus that was cited for violations and fined $33,000, argues that the law overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2006 is unconstitutional.......More here.

The state Department of Health continues to believe the law is constitutional and will continue to enforce the ban that Ohioans wanted and approved, said spokeswoman Jen House.

She said the ban "protects Ohio's workers and Ohioans from exposure to dangerous secondhand smoke."

Actually OSHA regulations protect Ohio's workers and Ohioans from arbitrarily declared "dangerous levels" of secondhand smoke. And global air quality testing of secondhand smoke proves that it is 4 to 25,000 times SAFER than OSHA permissible exposure limits (PEL). Peer reviewed and published test results found online here:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2010/10/air-quality-testing-of-secondhand-smoke.html

Excerpts:

Multiple AQ test results from around the globe confirms secondhand smoke is NOT a health hazard:

This University of Washington study tested 20 Missouri smoking establishments and found that secondhand smoke levels in ALL 20 bars & restaurants tested ranged from 110 to 877 times SAFER than OSHA workplace air quality standards require.
http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-st-louis-aq-study-published-by.html

This Johns Hopkins University study tested Baltimore smoking establishments and found that secondhand smoke levels in ALL of the bars & restaurants tested ranged from 30 to 238 times SAFER than OSHA workplace air quality standards require.
http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/11/johns-hopkins-air-quality-testing-of.html

This British Medical Journal published study tested European smoking establishments and found that secondhand smoke levels in ALL of the bars & restaurants tested ranged from 4 to 5,000 times SAFER than OSHA workplace air quality standards require.
http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/04/bmj-published-air-quality-test-results.html

This American Cancer Society sponsored study tested Western New York smoking establishments and found that secondhand smoke levels in ALL of the bars & restaurants tested ranged from 532 to 25,000 times SAFER than OSHA workplace air quality standards require.
http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2004/04/american-cancer-society-test-results.html

This St. Louis Park, MN. Environmental Health Dept study tested 19 Minnesota smoking establishments and found that secondhand smoke levels in ALL 19 of the bars & restaurants tested ranged from 15 to 500 times SAFER than OSHA workplace air quality standards require.
http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2006/02/air-quality-testing-and-secondhand.html

WHO report on secondhand smoke
http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2008/03/british-medical-journal-who-conclude.html

***

How does secondhand smoke in the workplace compare to welding smoke in the workplace?

Welding smoke is far more hazardous than secondhand smoke. Yet air quality testing shows that welding smoke is regulated to safety standards by OSHA, so lawmakers allow OSHA do do its job rather than ban it.

Secondhand smoke on the other hand, though proven to be 4 – 25,000 times SAFER than OSHA workplace air quality regulations, requires government intervention according to Nicoderm funded activists and some lawmakers…….This double standard however, and the air quality testing above prove that a special interest agenda might be the real motive behind the demand for bans.

Otherwise, if health were the real concern we would show some consistency, either by allowing workplace (OSHA) air quality regulations in our bars and restaurants.......or by imposing a ban on all other potential workplace air quality hazards.

Full air quality test data and comparison to OSHA regulations CFR 29 found online here:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2010/10/air-quality-testing-of-secondhand-smoke.html