Smoke-Free Establishments

Protect Your Health While Visiting These Smoke-Free Dining, Lodging, and Entertainment Establishments in St. Joseph:

The City of St. Joseph does not guarantee the list's accuracy, but rather establishments have reported this to the City for inclusion on our web site.

Hazards of Secondhand Smoke
According to the Surgeon General, the science is now clear: secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard that causes premature death and disease in children and nonsmoking adults.

• Secondhand smoke exposure causes heart disease and lung cancer in adults and sudden infant death syndrome and respiratory problems in children.

• Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent. The finding is of major public health concern due to the fact that nearly half of all nonsmoking Americans are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.

• Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds. Secondhand smoke contains many of the same chemicals that are present in the smoke inhaled by smokers. The National Toxicology Program estimates that at least 250 chemicals in secondhand smoke are known to be toxic or carcinogenic. Because sidestream smoke is generated at lower temperatures and under different conditions than mainstream smoke, it contains higher concentrations of many of the toxins found in cigarette smoke.

• There is NO risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure, with even brief exposure adversely affecting the cardiovascular and respiratory system.

• Separate “no smoking” sections DO NOT protect you from secondhand smoke. Neither does filtering the air or opening a window. Only smoke-free environments effectively protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure in indoor spaces.

To learn more about the Surgeon General’s 2006 Report The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General visit: www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/

Source U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006.