Arkansas Clean Indoor Air Act

The Arkansas Clean Indoor Air Act of 2006 is an act to protect workers in Arkansas from secondhand smoke in the workplace and to protect the citizens of Arkansas from secondhand smoke in public places.

June 27, 2006, Little Rock — U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona today issued a comprehensive scientific report which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Non-smokers 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 non-smoking Americans are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.

The report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, finds that even brief secondhand smoke exposure can cause immediate harm. The report states the only way to protect non-smokers from the dangerous chemicals in secondhand smoke is to eliminate smoking indoors.

Secondhand smoke exposure can cause heart disease and lung cancer in non-smoking adults and is a known cause of Sudden Infant Death syndrome (SIDS), respiratory problems, ear infections, and asthma attacks in infants and children. “The health effects of secondhand smoke exposure are more pervasive than we previously thought,” said Surgeon General Carmona, Vice Admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service. “The scientific evidence is now indisputable: secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and non-smoking adults.”

In Arkansas, secondhand smoke is the third-leading cause of preventable death with approximately 575 Arkansans dying each year from someone else’s smoke.

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Downloads

• Rules Pertaining to the Arkansas Clean Indoor Air Act of 2006
• Arkansas Clean Indoor Air Act of 2006
• Arkansas Clean Indoor Air Act Exemption Form

Contact Information

Arkansas Department of Health
Healthy Arkansas Hotline
1-800-235-0002