Who remains at risk from ETS exposure?
Despite enormous progress, many adults and children remain at risk. In 1999, almost 70% of the U.S. indoor workforce was covered by a smoke-free workplace policy. However, blue collar workers were far less likely to be covered by a smoke-free workplace policy than white collar workers (52% vs. 76%). Food service workers had the lowest rate of coverage of any occupational category (42%), with coverage of wait staff (28%) and bartenders (13%) lowest of all. In 2000, one in four homes with children permitted smoking in the home; however, smoking in the home was far more common in families with lower levels of parental education. As of the year 2000, the Surgeon General has estimated that 126 million nonsmokers remain at risk of ETS exposure.
