State legislators took a big step forward in the arena of public health in 2006 when they passed a sweeping measure outlawing indoor smoking in most workplaces, public buildings and restaurants.
It was a strong acknowledgment of the danger of secondhand smoke.
Unfortunately, the law included several glaring loopholes. A few, like allowing cigarette smoking in casinos, have since been eliminated.
Others have not. One of the remaining exceptions to the indoor smoking ban involves four lounges and restaurants at Denver International Airport.
It’s a loophole that Denver’s mayor or City Council ought to close.
We want to be clear at the outset that this is not about persecution of smokers. This is about protecting the workers at those commercial outlets.
The wait staff at those establishments, which offer food and beverage service, should not be exposed to patrons’ cigarette smoke in order to do their jobs — especially when no one else has to.
It’s true that they can seek another job. But that’s not always a practical consideration, particularly in a tough economy.
And yes, the smoking areas are ventilated, but research shows that even an advanced filtering system will not cut it. Workers would still be exposed to significant amounts of secondhand smoke.
As awareness of the detrimental effects of tobacco smoking and secondhand smoke increases, it would be easy to gang up on smokers. That is not our intent.
In fact, in exchange for making all DIA commercial establishments smoke-free, we would encourage the airport to create ventilated, climate- controlled smoking lounges.
These places would be closed-off and separately ventilated rooms behind security lines where people could smoke before or after a flight. No food or beverage service ought to be provided. Furthermore, airport authorities ought to allow cleaning staff a smoke-free window during which to service the areas.
As for the mechanism of change, we agree with several public health advocacy groups that the policy modification ought to be taken on by either an ordinance passed by the City Council or an executive order from the mayor.
The 2006 Colorado Indoor Clean Air Act was passed by the state legislature, but it referred to a 1993 executive order issued by then-Mayor Wellington Webb that outlined the city’s smoking policy.
It is this policy that ought to be revamped.
Advocates from the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society plan to approach city officials this fall about the issue of indoor smoking at the airport, which is under city jurisdiction.
We would urge the city’s elected officials to study the matter and then do what’s right to protect workers by closing the loophole.
