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Recognizing Healthy, Local Communities

Local leaders committed to clean air protections from both secondhand smoke and secondhand aerosol from e-cigarettes deserve recognition for their dedication to the health and well-being of their community. Smoke from cigarettes and cigars and aerosol from e-cigarettes/vape devices increase particulate matter in the air which can lead to severe asthma attacks, heart attacks, and lung cancer in non-smokers.

Certification Criteria

Standards for Smoke-Free Palmetto State Certification are straightforward. To become certified, local governments must adopt and implement clean air protections that prohibit smoking and the use of e-cigarettes and vapes in all indoor workplaces, restaurants, and bars.

Clean air — free of both secondhand smoke and vaping toxins — remains the standard to protect health.

What’s Not Allowed?

  • “Grandfathering"- Allowing existing workplaces to be exempt from the ordinance
  • Waivers- Allowing workplaces to apply for a waiver complying with the ordinance

How to Become Certified

Submit your comprehensive smoke-free ordinance for review. Contact local DPH staff for more information:

Lowcountry
Hyacinthi Mwangu, (843) 953-0093 or (843) 697-9974

Midlands
Mercedes Goodson, (803) 741-6894

Pee Dee
Jessica Piezzo, (843) 992-1222

Upstate
Misty Lee, (864) 882-2245 or (864) 933-2976

Promotion and Support

Local governments who are certified can proudly display their Smoke-Free Palmetto State Certification with an official web banner/button and window decal. DPH staff can also provide media materials and attend press opportunities to present your certificate of distinction.

Smoke-Free Palmetto Brochures

These brochures are provided as resources for downloading and printing. 

Citations

The facts within the brochures are cited below:

Fact: Both smokers and non-smokers prefer to work in and/or to visit smoke-free environments (especially restaurants and bars).

  1. Pyles MK, Mullineaux DJ, Okoli CTC, Hahn EJ. Economic Effect of a Smoke-free Law in a Tobacco-Growing Community.  Tobacco Control 2007;16:66–8 [accessed 2020 Aug 17].
  2. Alpert HR, Carpenter CM, Travers MJ, Connolly GN. Environmental and Economic Evaluation of the Massachusetts Smoke-free Workplace Law Journal of Community Health 2007;32(4):269-81 [cited 2014 Apr 8].
  3. Klein EG, Forster JL, Collins NM, Erickson DJ, Toomey TL. Employment Change for Bars and Restaurants Following a Statewide Clean Indoor Air Policy.  American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2010;39(6 Suppl 1):S16–S22 [accessed 2020 Aug 17].
  4. New York State Department of Health. Second Annual Independent Evaluation of New York’s Tobacco Control Program, 2005. New York: New York State Department of Health;2005 [accessed 2014 Apr 8].
  5. Patron Surveys and Consumer Behavior - American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation | no-smoke.org

Fact: Business owners boost their bottom line by saving thousands of dollars in building/property maintenance costs, increased productivity, lower liability insurance premiums, and lower employer-sponsored health insurance premiums with smoke-free workplaces.

  1. “The dollars (and sense) benefits of having a smoke-free workplace,” Michigan Department of Community Health, [2000]
  2. Tobacco Use: Turning Workplace Challenges into Opportunities. (n.d.). CDC Foundation. https://www.cdcfoundation.org/blog-entry/businesspulse-tobacco-use
  3. “The Cost of Smoking to Business” American Cancer Society. [n.d.] Accessed on May 18, 2004.

Fact: Property free from tobacco trash (butts and vape cartridges) and air pollution (secondhand smoke and vaping aerosol) appear clean and inviting to prospective clients, customers, and visitors.

  1. How litter removal enhances your business’s curb appeal. (n.d.). https://parkinglotrepairusa.com/blog/how-litter-removal-enhances-your-business-s-curb-appeal 

Fact: There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure.

  1. About secondhand smoke. (2024, May 15). Smoking and Tobacco Use. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/secondhand-smoke/index.html
  2. Health problems caused by secondhand smoke. (2025, January 31). Smoking and Tobacco Use. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/secondhand-smoke/health.html 

Fact: E-cigarettes release aerosol that can contain dangerous chemicals, NOT harmless water vapor.

  1. About E-Cigarettes (Vapes). (2024, October 24). Smoking and Tobacco Use. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/e-cigarettes/about.html
  2. E-cigarettes and vaping | Health risks of e-cigarettes. (n.d.). American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/tobacco/e-cigarettes-vaping.html#:~:text=Flavoring%20chemicals,health%20problems%2C%20like%20lung%20damage.
  3. American Lung Association. (n.d.). What’s in an E-Cigarette? https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/e-cigarettes-vaping/whats-in-an-e-cigarette 

Fact: Exposure to secondhand smoke in the workplace causes heart disease and various cancers among nonsmokers.

  1. Health problems caused by secondhand smoke. (2025b, January 31). Smoking and Tobacco Use. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/secondhand-smoke/health.html
  2. Su, C., Syamlal, G., Tamers, S., Li, J., & Luckhaupt, S. E. (2019). Workplace secondhand tobacco smoke exposure among U.S. nonsmoking workers, 2015. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 68(27), 604–607. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6827a2
  3. Office on Smoking and Health (US). The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); 2006. 8, Cardiovascular Diseases from Exposure to Secondhand Smoke. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44331/
  4. Office on Smoking and Health (US). The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); 2006. 7, Cancer Among Adults from Exposure to Secondhand Smoke. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44330/ 

Fact: People protected by comprehensive smoke-free policies live longer, healthier lives and have fewer heart-related hospital emergencies.

  1. Akter S, Islam MR, Rahman MM, et al. Evaluation of Population-Level Tobacco Control Interventions and Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(7):e2322341. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.22341
  2. Jones MR, Barnoya J, Stranges S, Losonczy L, Navas-Acien A. Cardiovascular Events Following Smoke-Free Legislations: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2014 Sep 1;1(3):239-249. doi: 10.1007/s40572-014-0020-1. PMID: 25328861; PMCID: PMC4198310.
  3. Office on Smoking and Health (US). The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); 2006. 8, Cardiovascular Diseases from Exposure to Secondhand Smoke. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44331/
  4. Hahn EJ. Smokefree legislation: a review of health and economic outcomes research. Am J Prev Med. 2010 Dec;39(6 Suppl 1):S66-76. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2010.08.013. PMID: 21074680.
  5. Goodman PG, Haw S, Kabir Z, Clancy L. Are there health benefits associated with comprehensive smoke-free laws. Int J Public Health. 2009;54(6):367-78. doi: 10.1007/s00038-009-0089-8. Epub 2009 Oct 31. PMID: 19882106.  
  6. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention, Tobacco Control, Vol. 13: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Smoke-Free Policies [PDF–2.67 MB]. Lyon, France: WHO, 2009 [accessed 2014 May 12].
  7. Institute of Medicine. Secondhand smoke exposure and cardiovascular effects: Making sense of the evidence (executive summary) 2009.
  8. Association, A. L. (n.d.). Health effects of secondhand smoke. American Lung Association. www.lung.org/quit-smoking/smoking-facts/health-effects/secondhand-smoke.