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Indoor air pollution in restaurants and bars in both the City of Charleston and Mount Pleasant decreased 94% after those municipalities passed comprehensive smoke-free legislation.
Fine Particulate Air Pollution levels in North Charleston, which has not enacted a smoke-free ordinance, remain three times higher than the EPA limit for daily maximum exposure. Employees working in those businesses, or others like them, put their health at risk every day they report to work.
The U.S. Surgeon General has said that any amount of exposure to secondhand smoke is dangerous. As shown below, comprehensive smoke-free legislation is effective in reducing indoor air pollution, and protects employees and patrons from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. (Link here to full research report.)
This is according to research conducted by Elizabeth A. Byrd, BS; Matthew J. Carpenter, PhD; and Mark J. Travers, PhD as reported in The Journal of the South Carolina Medical Association. Link here to full report.