Author: Approved By ASHRAE Board Of Directors
ASHRAE concludes that:
* It is the consensus of the medical community and its cognizant authorities
that ETS is a health risk, causing lung cancer and heart disease in adults,
and exacerbation of asthma, lower respiratory illnesses and other adverse
effects on the respiratory health of children.
* At present, the only means of effectively eliminating health risk associated
with indoor exposure is to ban smoking activity.
* Although complete separation and isolation of smoking rooms can control ETS
exposure in non-smoking spaces in the same building, adverse health effects
for the occupants of the smoking room cannot be controlled by ventilation.
* No other engineering approaches, including current and advanced dilution
ventilation or air cleaning technologies, have been demonstrated or should be
relied upon to control health risks from ETS exposure in spaces where smoking
occurs. Some engineering measures may reduce that exposure and the
corresponding risk to some degree while also addressing to some extent the
comfort issues of odor and some forms of irritation.
* An increasing number of local and national governments, as well as many
private building owners, are adopting and implementing bans on indoor smoking.
* At a minimum, ASHRAE members must abide by local regulations and building
codes and stay aware of changes in areas where they practice, and should
educate and inform their clients of the substantial limitations and the
available benefits of engineering controls.
* Because of ASHRAE's mission to act for the benefit of the public, it
encourages elimination of smoking in the indoor environment as the optimal way
to minimize ETS exposure.