Many health officials have suggested the implementation of smoking bans in restaurants and bars because of negative health problems caused by second-hand smoke. But, restaurant and bar owners worry that a ban will cut business and drive customers away.

Taking Aim At Second-Hand Smoke

By Ally Dowds

The stale smell of cigarette smoke lingers. It lingers on clothes, hair, skin and everything it can possibly seep into.

“It’s disgusting.” 21-year-old Kelsey Gibbons, a student at Loyola University said. “Every time I come back from a bar, even a restaurant, I have to ‘Fabreze’ every inch of my clothing. There’s times when I won’t even go to a bar because there is just too many people smoking.”

Gibbons is not alone in her aversion to smoking in bars and restaurants. In 2003, New York City imposed smoking bans in all restaurants and bars despite vast objection from the affected industries.

Today, other cities such as Chicago and Philadelphia are following suit and attempting to implement smoking bans. The reason for this dramatic shift: second-hand smoke.

Second-hand smoke is a “mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers,” according to American Lung Association. Exposure to second-hand smoke can lead to hazardous health problems.

“Someone who spends one night in a smoky bar will experience the short-term effects of smoke exposure [such as] irritation, cough, some cardiovascular effects,” said Alissa Eischens, heath adviser for Loyola University’s Wellness Center. “Someone who is exposed to a smoky environment over a long period of time such as a server or bartender will be at risk for the long-term health problems that affect smokers [such as] lung and cardiovascular disease [and] cancer.

Second-hand smoke, a known cause of cancer, is responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 35,000 heart diseases deaths each year, (American Lung Association). Aside from adults, young children are at high risk when exposed to second-hand smoke. Between 150,000 and 300,000 respiratory tract infections are found in infants and children under the age of 18 each year.

A study conducted at the University of California at Berkeley found that working an eight-hour shift in a smoky bar is the equivalent of smoking 16 cigarettes.

“Even in restaurants where there are ‘No Smoking’ sections, patrons and workers are still exposed to secondhand smoke, and no amount of smoke is considered safe,” Eischens said.

In Illinois, the state legislature is attempting to pass a law in addition to its 1989 Clean Indoor Act that allows smoking in public places as long as it's confined to designated smoking areas; this does not apply to freestanding bars, restaurants, bowling alleys, etc.

The new bill under consideration would allocate the right to each town to adopt its own smoking ordinances.

Anthony Vena, a bartender at Sports Corner Grill in Wrigleyville agrees that it must remain the establishment’s decision whether a smoking ban is instituted.

“[Smoking bans] should be a personal decision,” Vena said. “It should be based on clientele … bar versus restaurant. Most people smoke in bars.”

Ultimately, Vena argues that a smoking ban would “absolutely” decrease the number of patrons at a bar because smoking is commonly associated with drinking.

He said he feels that being exposed to high concentrations of smoke all comes down to a personal decision.

“If they don’t like smoke they don’t have to be that section,” Vena said. “It’s the choice of the customers.”