The U.S. Surgeon General released a report on the dangers of secondhand smoke that draws new conclusions about the need for smoke-free workplaces. The report found that secondhand smoke is even more dangerous than previously thought. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Secondhand Smoke confirms that too many people are unwillingly exposed to secondhand smoke, most alarmingly, children.

Research reviewed in the report indicates that smoke-free policies are the most effective and economic approach for providing protection from exposure to secondhand smoke. Separating smokers and nonsmokers in the same airspace is not effective, nor is air cleaning or a greater exchange of indoor with outdoor air. Additionally, having separately ventilated areas for smoking may not offer a satisfactory solution to reducing workplace exposures.

In Arkansas, many thousands of people remain at risk from exposure to secondhand smoke, but that all will change with the enforcement of the Clean Indoor Air Act in July. "Today's report from our nation's top public health official underscores the need for comprehensive laws to protect everyone from the dangers of secondhand smoke. It is a good feeling to know that our local legislators have acted upon this urgent need through the passage of the Clean Indoor Air Act and Arkansans will begin to breathe easier very soon," said April Wingfield, a spokesperson for the American Lung Association of Arkansas.