Population considerations:
- Blue-collar and service industry workers. Secondhand smoke exposure tends to be higher among persons with lower income (CDC, 2006). Many lower income people work in blue-collar and service industry jobs which may increase their exposure to secondhand smoke as opposed to their white-collar counterparts. Environmental tobacco smoke is a danger to people who work in public places that allow smoking, such as restaurants and bars (Barbeau, 2004).
- Children. Almost 60% of U.S. children aged 3–11 years (almost 22 million children) are exposed to secondhand smoke. About 25% of children in this age group live with at least one smoker (CDC, 2006).
- Nonsmokers. 126 million non-smoking Americans are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes and workplaces (CDC, 2006).
Strategies to address these considerations:
- Restrict indoor smoking. Eliminating smoking in indoor places will protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke exposure (CDC, 2006).