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Some employees and business patrons in Springfield are being exposed to an unhealthy level of second smoke. That's the finding of a recently completed study. KSMU's Michele Skalicky has more...

One Air Alliance is a grassroots community health coalition comprised of Springfield citizens. It was created to protect the health of people living and working in or visiting Springfield from the effects of secondhand smoke.
The coalition recently completed an indoor air quality study at 12 local businesses—restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. Ten allow smoking and two do not.
According to the coalition’s co-chair Carrie Reynolds, the testing was conducted anonymously by members of One Air Alliance in December of 2009 and in February and March this year.
Reynolds says the results were compared to the EPA’s air quality index, which classifies air in health categories based on concentrations of particulate matter pollution…

"What we discovered is that venues that allowed smoking contained nearly ten times the amount of particulate matter pollution than those that were smoke-free. On average, only five percent of the patrons in the businesses that allowed smoking were actually smoking yet those five percent were contributing to nearly ten times more air pollution."

The average air quality in the smoking venues was classified as very unhealthy—everyone may experience more serious health effects. The non-smoking venues had moderate air quality meaning the air quality is acceptable.
Dr. James Rogers, with the Greene County Medical Society, says exposure to secondhand smoke can have a negative health impact…

"A burning cigarette contains more than 4800 chemicals more than 250 of which are known to be toxic. Of those 250, 60 are definitely carcinogenic. This means that the smoker and every single person in the proximity of the cigarette that's lit inhales these toxic chemicals and are exposed to the carcinogens."

He says some diseases linked to exposure to secondhand smoke include coronary artery disease, lung cancer and heart disease.
One Air Alliance says their next step will be to educate the public. The coalition recently received a grant of more than 60-thousand-dollars from the Missouri Foundation for Health to launch a strategic public education campaign. Reynolds says they will promote their message on buses and in movie theatres, on billboards and in newspapers, online and thru educational literature placed in certain businesses. She says they hope the public will get a better understanding of the effects of exposure to secondhand smoke.
According to Reynolds, One Air Alliance members hope to hear from businesses, civic leaders and from the public about the most appropriate course of action to take next.
She says an ordinance is being looked at as a possible step to take.
For KSMU News, I’m Michele Skalicky.
 

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