Smoky Bars Expose Workers

Nonsmokers who work in bars and restaurants that allow smoking have higher levels of cancer-causing chemicals from tobacco in their urine than nonsmokers working in smoke-free establishments, a new study says.

The finding, reported by researchers from Oregon's Multnomah County Health Department and the University of Minnesota Cancer Center, promises to add fuel to the already fiery debate over secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace. In fact, a second report by lawyers at the Public Health Institute in Oakland, Calif., says employers who continue to allow smoking in their workplaces -- despite mounting evidence of secondhand smoke's dangers -- could be opening themselves up to lawsuits from employees harmed by the smoke.

Both reports are slated for publication in the August 2007 issue of the American Journal of Public Health and were released online ahead of print.

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