Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) should be eliminated from all public spaces, including workplaces, because it is a significant cause of occupational death and illness, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine argues in a new position paper.

In work settings lacking a policy prohibiting smoking in all areas, nonsmokers are more than eight times more likely to be exposed to ETS than those who work in smoke-free worksites, according to ACOEM.

The group wants smoking banned through voluntary, regulatory, and legislative initiatives. It urges employers to educate employees about the health hazards of ETS, and offer personal smoking-cessation programs.