May 6, 1999
To:Scarborough Community Council
From:Secretary, Board of Health
Subject:Ventilation Option for the Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) By-law
Recommendation:
The Board of Health reports, for the information of the Community Councils, having adopted the report dated April 28,
1999, from the Chair, Board of Health; and having further requested the Medical Officer of Health to:
(1)report back to the next meeting of the Board on whether the Ontario Restaurant Association has responded; and
(2)circulate the final consolidated report on the ETS By-law in sufficient time to provide members of the Board the
opportunity for review prior to the Board meeting on June 28 and29, 1999.
Background:
The Board of Health at its meeting on May 6, 1999, had before it a report (April 28, 1999) from Councillor John Filion,
Chair, Board of Health, recommending that:
(1)the Ontario Restaurant Association provide to the Medical Officer of Health, by May 31, 1999, specific details on the
ventilation technology which they believe to be an effective alternative to 100 percent smoke-free status for hospitality
establishments, along with independent scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of this technology; and
(2)the Medical Officer of Health report to the Board of Health by June 28, 1999, regarding the appropriateness of
including a ventilation option in the proposed ETS by-law.
Secretary,
Board of Health
Trudy Perrin/lv.1
Attachment
(Report dated April 28, 1999, from
Councillor John Filion, Chair, Board of Health)
Recommendations:
(1)That the Ontario Restaurant Association provide to the Medical Officer of Health, by May31, 1999, specific details on
the ventilation technology, which they believe to be an effective alternative to 100 percent smoke-free status for hospitality
establishments, along with independent scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of this technology; and
(2)that the Medical Officer of Health report to the Board of Health by June 28, 1999, regarding the appropriateness of
including a ventilation option in the proposed ETS by-law.
Background:
In her report on April 6, 1999, the Medical Officer of Health clearly outlines the health risk that environmental tobacco
smoke (ETS) presents in the City of Toronto. ETS (often referred to as second-hand smoke) causes breathing problems for
children, allergy sufferers, and people with heart or lung disease. ETS causes eye irritation and headaches, and it increases
the long-term risk of heart attacks and lung cancer, especially in exposed workers. The report also explains how restaurant
and bar employees are the most affected and yet have the least amount of legal protection compared with other workers. In
order to address this serious health risk, the Medical Officer of Health recommends that smoking be prohibited in
workplaces and public places.
As an alternative to prohibiting smoking, some members of the hospitality industry suggest that new ventilation systems are
available that could remove the EST and thereby allow hospitality patrons to continue smoking. The Ontario Restaurant
Association (ORA) has also claimed that new ventilation technology can create the equivalent of smoke-free indoor air.
As the Medical Officer of Health reports, there are at least 43 chemicals in ETS that can cause cancer in human. These
chemicals are in the form of tiny solid particles, gases, or both. Since there is no safe level of exposure to ETS, a ventilation
system would have to remove all of these harmful chemicals from the air to provide the same level of protection as
smoking ban. After investigating available ventilation technology, the Medical Officer of Health did not identify any
ventilation system that is capable of achieving this objective.
In order for the Board to make informed decisions on the feasibility of including a ventilation option in the proposed ETS
by-law, I am recommending that the ORA be requested to clearly identify these new technologies and provide detailed
information to the Board, through the Medical Officer of Health, regarding where such systems are in use, their design and
methods of operation, as well as independent scientific evaluation of their respective effectiveness.