The impact of California's smoking ordinances on worksite smoking policy and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke

This study examined the effects of California ordinances that restricted smoking in workplaces in 1990. The results suggest that local smoking laws to more worksited with restrictive smoking policies and fewer workers being exposed to ETS at the worksite. Reduced ETS exposure is likely to lower the incidence of related diseases; therefore, public health advocates should continue to support the passage of local antismoking laws. The effects of ordinances on worksites policy and on ETS exposure were related to ordinance strength. Effects were greater in localities with moderate or strong ordinances than in localities with no ordinances. Weak ordinances appeared to have a negative effect on workplace policy and no effect on ETS exposure, suggesting that such laws do not protect public health. More research is needed to determine why such laws may be counterproductive. In spite of overall support for our hypotheses, the results were somewhat disappointing from a public health perspective. Almost one-fourth of nonsmokers who worked in communities with the strongest workplace ordinances reported that their worksites had no smoking policy, and a similar proportion reported worksite ETS exposure. Many California businesses may have been in violation of local smoking laws. The little available evidence suggests that compliance with workplace smoking laws has been poor.