• Home
  • Welcome
  • Contents and Usage
  • News/Updates
  • Acknowledgments
  • Suggested Citation
  • Contact Information
  • Help
• Indicator Reports
  • Introduction
  • Contents and Usage
  • Categorized Indicator Profile Report Index
    • Healthy North Carolina 2020
    • Demographic Characteristics
    • Leading Causes of Death
    • Cancer Incidence
  • Alphabetical Indicator Profile Report Index
  • Community Reports
    • Community Snapshot Report

Important Facts for Secondhand Smoke Exposure in the Workplace

Definition

Workplace secondhand smoke exposure estimates are based on self-reported responses to the question: "On how many of the past seven days, did anyone smoke in your indoor workplace while you were there?" This question is only asked of respondents who are employed for wages or self-employed and those who report working indoors most of the time.

Numerator

Number of adults aged 18 years and older who report that they were exposed to secondhand smoke on one or more days in the seven days before the survey

Denominator

Number of adults aged 18 years and older responding to the BRFSS survey who are employed for wages or self-employed and those who report working indoors most of the time

Why Is This Important?

"Secondhand smoke exposure causes heart disease and lung cancer. In fact, the risk to nonsmokers for heart disease increases by 25%-30% and for lung cancer by 20%-30%. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and exposure for even a short duration is harmful to health." - North Carolina Institute of Medicine. Healthy North Carolina 2020: A Better State of Health.

Other Objectives

Healthy North Carolina 2020