Assessing smoke-free workplaces in Wisconsin municipal and county government buildings, 1997

Passive smoke has been shown to cause cancer and heart disease in humans. We surveyed all Wisconsin cities and villages in 1997 to determine their clean indoor air policies in government-owned buildings. By 1997, 62% of cities and villages and 100% of counties had enacted a clean indoor air ordinance or policy. Smoking is completely banned in 26% of all city and village buildings and 49% of county buildings in the state. This survey shows that an increasing proportion of government worksites in Wisconsin are enacting clean indoor air policies to protect their employees and the public from the health effects of passive smoke.