Compliance with the county ordinance prohibiting smoking within 20 feet of public building entrances in Kings County, California

Exposure to secondhand smoke is a known cancer-causing agent in humans and is classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a Group A carcinogen. In January 2004, California passed Government Code 7596-7598 prohibiting smoking within 20 feet of a main entrance, exit, and operational window of all public buildings. SHS is of concern since 48.4% of Kings County residents are Hispanic/Latino. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of observed smoking within the 20-feet smoke-free ordinance. Procedures: A total of 125 public buildings/facilities were identified and a random sample of 31 buildings was included in the observational sample. Buildings were observed for a minimum of 30 minutes during business hours to assess (1) the total number of buildings where one or more persons were observed smoking, (2) the number of buildings with “No Smoking” within 20 feet of the building signage, and (3) the number of observed ashtrays within 20 feet of building entrances. Results: A total of three buildings had one or more persons smoking within 20 feet of the buildings' entrances, windows, awnings, and/or breezeways. Only 32.2% of the public buildings and facilities posted appropriate “No Smoking” within 20 feet of the building signage. The city of Lemoore showed the lowest percentage (10.0%) of appropriate signage as compared to Corcoran and Hanford (40.0% and 43.7%, respectively). Overall, 12.9% of the public buildings/facilities in Kings County had observed ashtrays within 20 feet of the building entrance. Key findings and recommendations will be discussed.