A proposed smoking ban for all workplaces -- including restaurants, bars and private clubs -- received overwhelming support Tuesday night at a public hearing by Allegheny County Council.
"There really is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke," said Dr. Terence Starz, president of the Allegheny County Medical Society. "In the absence of any action from Harrisburg, there's no reason for Allegheny County not to take the lead."
Whether the county has the legal authority to enact such a ban is in dispute, and a court challenge is expected if council passes one.
Doctors from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and private practice showed up in force to urge council to adopt the ban.
Many cited a June surgeon general's report that said the dangers of secondhand smoke are indisputable and other health studies that show a link between smoking or secondhand smoke and cancer, heart disease, respiratory diseases, sudden infant death syndrome, pneumonia and other diseases.
Robert Gehrmann, of Crafton, and Laurie Silverman, marketing manager of a cigar business, spoke against a smoking ban and said studies either were inconclusive about health risks associated with secondhand smoke or slanted to reflect the beliefs of their sponsors, such as anti-tobacco groups.
Gehrmann urged council to practice "education, not indoctrination" and vote down the bill, which he described as "a wicked weed of hate."
Silverman said the county's all-or-nothing approach would send restaurant and bar patrons outside Allegheny County and inflict devastating consequences on the county's economy.
Cindy Thomas, executive director of Tobacco Free Allegheny, disagreed. She said studies in New York City, El Paso, Texas, and other cities found no adverse economic impacts on restaurants and bars after indoor clean air ordinances were enacted.
A self-described "foodie," Martha Isler, of Squirrel Hill, said she looks forward to having unlimited dining choices within Allegheny County once the ban is put into effect.
Eight of the 15 council members co-sponsored the bill -- enough to pass the legislation but two votes short of a two-thirds majority required to override an executive veto. A vote is possible later this month, county officials have said.
County Chief Executive Dan Onorato favors a statewide smoking ban because he does not want to put the county at an economic disadvantage, spokesman Kevin Evanto said.
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