Fueled by recent undercover tests showing poor air quality in some local businesses, a group is fired up to snuff out public smoking in Natchez once and for all.

Members of an anti-smoking organization hope to make Natchez the state’s first river city to adopt a no-smoking ordinance.

The grassroots movement gained some ground last month when dozens of physicians and community activists gathered for the city’s first Smoke-Free Coalition meeting.

Those gathered reviewed the results of an air quality study conducted in smoking and non-smoking venues in Natchez that revealed the dangers of second-hand smoke.

But some business owners and city leaders say a citywide ban would be too overbearing on customers and residents.

Clean air?

The argument for clean air is not about the individual rights of smokers or non-smokers, said Tosha Taylor, a grassroots advocate with Smokefree Mississippi.

“This is a public health issue,” Taylor said. “Government regulates a lot of things, including the temperature refrigerators need to stay in restaurants, all to help keep people safe.

“Smoke-free ordinances are exactly the same — they help keep people safe by eliminating the chance of second-hand smoke.”

Taylor said each year nearly 550 Mississippians die from second-hand smoke.

“These are people who have never smoked before, and they’re dying,” Taylor said.

Thanks to the results of an indoor air quality study assessment completed in Natchez last year, Taylor has some additional scientific data to back up the dangers of second-hand smoke.

The testing, which was contracted through the Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center, included a randomized selection of locations in Natchez. The test compared the air quality in similar businesses that allow and disallow smoking on their premises.

“These studies have been done across the United States, and they show that there is a tangible health risk in the air when you go to places that allow smoking inside,” said Dr. Robert McMillen, who works with MSU and coordinated the study. “If the air quality was the same outdoors as the restaurants or bars where smoking is allowed, the Weather Channel would be telling you to stay indoors.”

MSU staff conducting the study went into five different locations in Natchez — two smoke-free restaurants and bars; one restaurant where smoking is allowed with a non-smoking section; one restaurant where smoking is allowed and one casino where smoking is allowed.

The owners of the businesses weren’t notified that they were selected for testing McMillen said, and the study results don’t include the names of any businesses involved.

A small device, McMillen said, was placed inside a purse of one of the staff members. The device measures the concentration of fine particle air pollution in the establishment.

“The device is not looking specifically for tobacco, but it looks for anything smaller than 2.5 microns, which is the size of particles that can get past the lung’s filtration system,” McMillen said. “So we go into these establishments for about 15 to 30 minutes and test the air quality inside.”

The number of people inside and the number of burning cigarettes were also recorded during the sampling. Those numbers were averaged together to determine the average number of people on the premises and the average number of burning cigarettes.

The amount of particles in each establishment recorded during the study, along with the other data, was calculated and compared to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality index measurements, which range from “hazardous” to “good.”

The two smoke-free Natchez restaurants measured “good” on the EPA scale, which means there are no health advisories for that sampling of air.

The air in the non-smoking section of a smoking allowed restaurant measured “moderate” on the scale, which means unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged exposure in the area.

The air in the restaurant where smoking was allowed measured the worst on the EPA scale with an “unhealthy” ranking. The health advisory listed under “unhealthy” states, “people with heart or lung disease, older adults and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. Everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.”

The casino where smoking is allowed received the same “moderate” rating as the restaurant with a non-smoking section.

McMillen said the biggest takeaway from the study was the impact for employees in those establishments.

“As a patron of one of the places, you can be there an hour and be fine, but what about the employees working an eight-hour shift in moderate or unhealthy air?” McMillen said. “That might not necessarily be safe for them.”