Adopt a Smokefree Meeting Policy

Whereas numerous studies have found that tobacco smoke is a major contributor to indoor air pollution, and that breathing secondhand smoke  is a cause of disease in healthy nonsmokers, including heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, and lung cancer; and

Whereas the 2006 U.S. Surgeon General's report, "The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke," concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke; ventilation and other air cleaning technologies cannot completely control for exposure of nonsmokers to secondhand smoke; smokefree workplace policies are the only effective way to eliminate secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace, and evidence from peer-reviewed studies shows that smokefree policies and laws do not have an adverse economic impact on the hospitality industry; and

Whereas the 2010 U.S. Surgeon General's Report, "How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease," confirms that even occasional exposure to secondhand smoke is harmful, and that low levels of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke lead to a rapid and sharp increase in dysfunction and inflammation of the lining of the blood vessels, which are implicated in heart attacks and stroke; and

Whereas the Public Health Service's National Toxicology Program has listed secondhand smoke as a known carcinogen; and

Whereas, based on a finding by the California Environmental Protection Agency in 2005, the California Air Resources Board has determined that secondhand smoke is a toxic air contaminant, finding that exposure to secondhand smoke has serious health effects, including low birth-weight babies; sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS); increased respiratory infections in children; asthma in children and adults; lung cancer, sinus cancer, and breast cancer in younger, premenopausal women; heart disease; and death; and

Whereas the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has issued a warning that anyone at risk for heart disease should avoid entering smoke-filled environments; and

Whereas secondhand smoke is particularly hazardous to elderly people, individuals with cardiovascular disease, and individuals with impaired respiratory function, including asthmatics and those with obstructive airway disease; and

Whereas local and state governments throughout the country have successfully passed smokefree air laws to protect people against the harmful effects of secondhand smoke; and

Whereas aerosol from electronic smoking devices (ESDs) is made up of a high concentration of ultrafine particles, and the particle concentration is higher than in conventional tobacco cigarette smoke; exposure to fine and ultrafine particles may exacerbate respiratory ailments like asthma, and constrict arteries which could trigger a heart attack; and

Whereas the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that ESDs not be used indoors, especially in smokefree environments, in order to minimize the risk to bystanders of breathing in the aerosol emitted by the devices and to avoid undermining the enforcement of smokefree laws; and

Whereas secondhand smoke from combusted marijuana contains fine particulate matter that can be breathed deeply into the lungs, which can cause lung irritation, asthma attacks, and makes respiratory infections more likely. Exposure to fine particulate matter can exacerbate health problems, especially for people with respiratory conditions like asthma, bronchitis, or COPD; and

Whereas the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the standard setting body for the HVAC industry, affirms that mechanical solutions like ventilation cannot control for the health hazards of secondhand smoke, and its standard (62.1) for acceptable indoor air quality is based on an environment that is free from tobacco and marijuana smoke and secondhand aerosol; and

Whereas it is consistent with the policy of ____________ [Organization] to strongly favor policies and laws that limit exposure to all types of secondhand smoke and emissions from ESDs; and

Whereas cities and states that have adopted smokefree air laws should be rewarded with increased convention and tourism business; and

Whereas ____________ [Organization] should use its market clout and expend its financial resources in cities and states that have adopted a smokefree air law; therefore be it

Resolved that ____________ [Organization] hold all meetings only in smokefree cities and/or states that do not permit smoking in all workplaces including restaurants, bars, and casinos; and

Be it further resolved that _________ [Organization] will only attend meetings that are held in smokefree cities and/or states; and

Be it further resolved that __________ [Organization] strongly encourages other organizations to adopt similar resolutions.

[For organizations in states with no local 100% smokefree laws (Nevada, Florida, etc) that are not able to move meetings out of state:

Be it further resolved that if no smokefree city yet exists in our state, [Organization] will hold and attend meetings only in 100% smokefree buildings and facilities;]