DHS Celebrates 15th Anniversary of Wisconsin's Smoke-Free Indoor Air Law

Saturday, July 5 marks the 15th anniversary of Wisconsin's smoke-free indoor air law, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is celebrating the ways it has protected and improved health of our state's residents.

"Whether working a shift at a local restaurant or heading out with family for a Friday fish fry, Wisconsinites and visitors to our state can rest easy knowing they won't be exposed to secondhand smoke in public places," said State Health Officer and Division of Public Health Administrator Paula Tran. "Smoke-free businesses have become so normal for today's kids, it's hard for them to believe that smoking was once allowed in Wisconsin restaurants or on airplanes."

Along with making the air cleaner in public places, the smoke-free law also normalizes tobacco-free environments for our kids and discourages them from using commercial tobacco products. Additionally, smoke-free air laws are linked to a reduction in health issues and hospital stays for restaurant and bar workers, and others affected by secondhand smoke, as well as a reduction in hospital costs.

There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. It contains over 7,000 harmful chemicals (including 70 that cause cancer), kills more than 53,000 U.S. non-smokers annually, and can cause serious health problems like coronary heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are also at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory infections including pneumonia, and severe asthma.

Seventy-five percent of Wisconsinites say they approve of the state's existing smoke-free air law. It's also contributed to fewer people in the state smoking, with both adult and youth smoking rates down significantly in the last 15 years. When the law took effect in 2010, 19% of adults and 17% of high school students reported current smoking. Today, those numbers stand at 12% and 3% respectively.

"Wisconsin's smoke-free law has stood the test of time, and in today's age it's rare for any law to enjoy the broad kind of support it has," continued Paula Tran. "It's important that the law remain in place so that Wisconsin residents of all ages and professions can enjoy smoke-free air in our public places for decades to come."

Learn more ways DHS works to prevent commercial tobacco use in Wisconsin, at dhs.wisconsin.gov/tobacco. People who are ready to quit smoking or using commercial tobacco products can call the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) for free help and medications.