Indoor Smoking Bans Kick Carcinogens to the Curb

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Naeher agreed.

"It's not illegal to smoke, and when you have smokers, you're going to have secondhand smoke," he acknowledged. "There's no way to get around that. But the real question is, are these levels high enough to pose a danger to health? We don't have a clear answer to that. So, it certainly warrants further investigation."

In related research, a team at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that nonsmokers living and working in a completely smoke-free environment are two and a half times more likely to say they are in better health than those living without such bans. The findings, which are published in the May/June issue of the Journal of Urban Health, were based on surveys conducted among almost 1,500 Chinese Americans living in New York City.

More information

For more on secondhand smoke, visit the American Lung Association.