To the editor:

Your July 31 editorial “Good business?” asks the wrong question.

The question about whether the city should implement a ban on smoking in restaurants is one of public health and safety, not business.

Environmental tobacco smoke is a proven carcinogen, responsible for up to 600 deaths in Kansas annually, according to the American Lung Assn.

More than 1,200 communities in 40 different states have enacted local ordinances to protect their residents against the known and present danger of secondhand smoke. Not just New York City and Dallas, but smaller Salina and tobacco country’s Lexington, Ky., have such measures. These communities and many more have passed clean indoor ordinances that protect the health of restaurant and bar workers and patrons. Restaurants and bars in these communities have not gone out of business as a result. Remember, most Americans do not smoke.

Just as we have laws that protect us from poisoned food, we should have them to protect us from harmful air.

Our City Commission should be applauded for its interest in a smoking ban in restaurants and bars. I hope they go one step farther and make all our workplaces smoke free.

Michelle Adam,

Lawrence