Smoking creates the hazard of injury to the personal health of those in the environment of such smoke as well as the potential of damage to property that may result from the incendiary nature of such activity. It has been determined that breathing ambient smoke is a health hazard to both smokers and nonsmokers. Cigarette smoking also produces several substances that are considered hazardous to health including carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, nitrous oxide and formaldehyde. Secondhand smoke (68% of the total smoke produced by a cigarette) affects the health of the bystander, interfering with respiratory tract defenses, often causing nonsmokers to have allergic or irritative reactions, and is a known cause of lung cancer.
Because the hazards of smoking have a potentially harmful effect, material and direct, on the public health, safety, welfare, comfort and property of residents of the village, it is necessary and desirable to establish regulations that prohibit smoking in all enclosed public places, in all enclosed places of employment, near entrances to all such public places, in all enclosed places of employment, in and near open air public dining areas and within certain unenclosed public places including the village hall grounds, the Lindenhurst sanitary district sewer treatment plant site, school grounds, parks and recreation areas and outdoor venues.
(Ord. 07-11-1656, passed 11-12-2007)