Environmental tobacco smoke.

A healthy and safe environment is a national public health priority. Clean air, free from tobacco smoke, is particularly vital since researchers have documented the link between tobacco smoke and increased morbidity and mortality in both smokers and non-smokers. Specifically, target goals for the year 2000, as established in the document, Health People 2000 (National Center for Health Statistics, 1990, 1994), include increasing the proportion of schools that are tobacco-free to 100%, increasing the proportion of work sites with formal smoking policies to 75%, and increasing the number of states with clean indoor air laws to 50%. As part of their role in promoting the public health and welfare, nurses need to actively support and help implement smoking policies in public places.