Let's clear the air about why I have asked the City Council to prohibit smoking in all indoor work areas in our City - it is to eliminate the threat that second-hand smoke presents to thousands and thousands of New Yorkers.

Second-hand smoke contains arsenic, cyanide and other deadly chemicals. It is a leading environmental cause of cancer in the United States. City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden estimates that second-hand smoke kills more than 1,000 New York City residents every year. To put this in perspective, there were 671 homicides last year.

Second-hand smoke is a critically important health issue for the more than 160,000 people who work in eating and drinking establishments in the five boroughs. Experts say that putting in an eight-hour shift in a smoke-filled restaurant or bar is the equivalent of smoking half a pack of cigarettes yourself. Employees of such businesses have a 50% higher risk of developing lung cancer than do other workers, even if they are non-smokers or only smoke occasionally.

No one should have to breathe highly toxic smoke in order to hold a job. And the estimated eight out of ten adult New Yorkers who don't smoke shouldn't have to risk exposure to cancer-causing chemicals when they go out for a meal or to a bar with friends.

There is no evidence that the law I'm proposing will have any negative economic effects. In 1995, New York City enacted the current legislation that prohibits smoking in the dining areas of restaurants that have more than 35 seats. After that Smoke-Free Workplace Act was passed, the restaurant industry in New York City actually grew significantly more than it did in the rest of the state, where restrictions on smoking are less stringent. Market research studies show that by a margin of two-to-one, New York City residents are likely to eat out more often if they can do so in a smoke-free environment. It wasn't so long ago that smoking was permitted in movie theaters in New York City; when smoking was prohibited there it didn't cut down on movie-going. So it's no surprise that many restaurant owners around the City and tourist industry leaders like Tim Zagat of Zagat restaurant guides support this legislation that would protect workers and customers.

Passing the law I've proposed will make New York City a national leader in addressing the number one public health issue in America - the consequences of smoking. It is simply the right thing to do. People may have a right to risk their own health by smoking-but they don't have any right to hurt anyone else in the process.