The Center for the Advancement of Health says recent research on the dangers of secondhand smoke could help answer questions about the value of no-smoking laws in bars and restaurants.

A new study compares the level of a tobacco-specific carcinogen in nonsmokers who work in restaurants that allow smoking with that of employees in restaurants that ban the practice. It found nonsmokers are at considerable risk when they work in smoky food establishments.

The study, which appears in the August 2007 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, addressed the presence of NNK, a carcinogen implicated in lung cancer. Commented lead author Dr. Michael Stark, "There are no studies showing any safe level of exposure to this potent lung carcinogen."

He said nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke have about a 20 percent increase in the risk of lung cancer. Foodservice workers tend to have higher exposure to passive smoke than workers in other professions.

Stark and colleagues concluded there is no justification for exempting bars and restaurants from indoor-air legislation.

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