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r~d«.-~•~~ Is Secondhand Smoke Safe to Breathe Outdoors? I'J ilrx I[~~CIAl10M Introduction Knowledge about the dangerous chemicals contained in secondhand smoke, along with their deadly consequences for smokers, has been well established for decades. We also know that the secondhand smoke breathed in by non-smokers from the burning end of a lit tobacco product or exhaled from a smoker's lungs contains essentially the same dangerous chemicals and is therefore also very unhealthy to breathe. The volume of scientific evidence showing that secondhand smoke causes serious illness and death in adults and children has grown to a level where in 2006, the U.S. Surgeon General called it massive, rnnc/usive and indisputab/e. As a result, more and more people in the United States (and throughout the world) are taking action to eliminate people's exposure to secondhand smoke, in order to protect everyone's health. Most of these actions have been through the elimination of in smoking in homes, cars, worksites and other public places. To a lesser degree, smoking restrictions are being adopted for outdoor settings. Background What does the scientific evidence say about breathing secondhand smoke outdoors? While the amount of research conducted on secondhand smoke in outdoor settings is not as vast as that completed in indoor environments, the research findings are showing similarities. The California Air Resources Board~i~ measured secondhand smoke concentrations in a variety of outdoor locations at airports, rn//eges, government centers, office comp/exec and amusement parks They found that when smoking occurs in these settings, people could be exposed to levels of secondhand smoke that is comparable to indoor concentrations where smoking is permitted. In another study~z~, where measurements were conducted when active smoking was taking place at outdoor patios, sidewa/ks and parks, similar results were observed. One of the researchers stated that this type of outdoor tobacco exposure should not be dismissed as trivial. Measuring Secondhand Smoke A common measure of air quality in detecting secondhand smoke pollution is particu/ate matter (PM). PM 2.5 is air particles that have a diameter of smaller than 2.5 microns. Particulates of this size are easily inhaled deep into the lungs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set air quality index levels and corresponding health advisory descriptors, based upon PM 2.5 measurements. PM 2.5 AQI Break Points microns cubic meter Air Quality Index Health Advisory A I Descri for 0.0 - 15.4 0-50 15.5 - 40.4 51-100 Moderate 40.5 - 65.4 101-150 65.5 - 150.4 151-200 150.5 - 2504 201-300 250.5 - 350.4 301-400 350.5 - 500.4 401-500 A Canadian study~3~ measured secondhand smoke levels on outdoor hospita/ity patios (restaurants/bars). Measurements were taken at three different locations, with some variation