Butting it out

Carnival rides, fair food and entertainment may not be the only things greeting fairgoers at this year’s Steele County Fair. A smoking ban may be added to that list if one group gets its way.
Steele County Public Health is requesting to butt out smoking at the fairgrounds beginning this year. Officials from public health proposed the ban at the Steele County Fair Board meeting earlier this month. However, no action has been taken at this time while fair officials seek more details.
“It’s about health,” said Jane Nyquist, coordinator of Four Corners Partnership and public health educator with Steele County. “We care about the health of our community. Fairs are family-friendly events,” she said, noting a ban would show youth that tobacco and electronic cigarettes are not healthy.
Nyquist said public health has received many complaints about smoking at the fair, including entryways to buildings, food stands, midway and concert venues among others. 
Fair manager Jim Gleason said board members have not acted on the proposal in part because they feel the ultimate decision will have to be made by the county board. The fairgrounds is county property. 
Gleason said he didn’t really want to comment at this time on a possible smoking ban because “I’m up in the air on it.” He added the fair board wants to think about it thoroughly without making any hasty decision.
The fair, Gleason said, has received smoking complaints in the past, but he doesn’t consider it a huge problem. There have never been any smoking-related injuries at the local fairgrounds, he noted.
Secondhand smoke is harmful to people, according to Nyquist. She cites a 2006 Surgeon General report, which states, “There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoking. It causes disease and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke.”
The public health department points out other key findings from the Surgeon General’s report:
• Secondhand smoke causes heart disease and lung cancer.
• Separate “no smoking” sections do not protect people from secondhand smoke. Neither does filtering the air or opening a window.
• Many states and communities have passed laws regarding smoking. But millions of children and adults still breathe secondhand smoke in their homes, cars, workplaces and public places.
Public health conducted a survey at the fair last year in which 83 percent said they would support a tobacco-free fair. 
The Minnesota State Fair went to designated smoking areas in 2013 after a 2-year-old child’s eye was burned while a smoker casually put her arm down and poked the child in the eye with her lit cigarette. “This was one of the concerns our survey respondents listed as well,” Nyquist said.
Other county fairs, Nyquist said, have banned smoking with some being totally smoke-free except for their campgrounds and others have designated smoking areas similar to the state fair.
In addition to the obvious health concerns, a smoking ban would eliminate tobacco litter on the grounds, Nyquist said. “This will protect the environment and make the fairgrounds more attractive,” she added.
Nyquist said public health has been in discussion with the county board about updating the county’s smoking policy for a few months. The original policy is outdated as it was implemented in the 1990s. 
“We’ve also received a lot of complaints from county employees about secondhand smoking at the workplace, especially around entrances to county buildings and around air intakes,” Nyquist said. 
The county board has asked public health to meet with the fair board and county park board about a potential smoking ban. Nyquist and her group will be going to the community services committee next month with their findings.  
Four Corners Partnership is a joint effort between Steele, Dodge, Rice and Goodhue counties with the primary mission to reduce tobacco’s harm.