OPINION & EDITORIAL
Bars should go smoke free
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by Dr. Scott Spear
Friday, September 27, 2002
Tuesday, the mayor and the city of Madison Common Council will decide on the proposed ordinance to ban smoking in all restaurants with 50 percent or less alcohol sales.
We at University Health Services (UHS), the primary agency providing healthcare services to students at the University of Wisconsin?Madison, support this proposed ordinance and urge students, faculty, staff, and community members to voice their support.
Many UW?Madison students work in restaurants and bars. Their exposure to secondhand smoke puts them at greater risk for both short-term and long-term health problems. Students exposed to secondhand smoke are more vulnerable to respiratory illnesses and experience more severe respiratory illness in general. These illnesses are short-term disabilities, but they cause a number of visits to our clinic and interfere with students’ academic success.
Bar and restaurant workers are 50 percent more likely to have lung cancer than other workers, even after controlling for their own smoking habits. A bartender working an eight-hour shift while being exposed to tobacco smoke inhales an amount of chemicals equivalent to smoking half a pack of cigarettes.
UHS understands that limited employment opportunities—especially downtown—make these work settings almost unavoidable for students. Many times students don’t have a choice as to where they work because of their limited transportation options, irregular schedules, or the need for the fast cash that tips provide. The proposed ordinance would ensure that these students and other employees are not punished because they work in restaurants or bars.
University Health Services strongly supports the passage of this proposed ordinance as a benefit to our patients, the students at University of Wisconsin?Madison. If you are a Madison resident, and you want to help support this ordinance, visit www.uhs.wisc.edu to find out how to get in touch with your alderperson.
Dr. Scott Spear is the director of clinical services at University Health Services.
