FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 14, 2022

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The state’s first and only smoke-free county recently received another designation of distinction from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). Lancaster County has received DHEC’s Smoke-Free Palmetto State Certification for its comprehensive smoke-free policy that protects the right of everyone in Lancaster County to breathe clean air. 

Clean air – free from secondhand smoke and aerosol produced by e-cigarettes/vapes – remains the standard to protect the health of communities everywhere. More than half of South Carolinians live in places that don’t guarantee clean, indoor air free from secondhand smoke.  

Comprehensive smoke-free/vaping aerosol-free work environments are an important strategy to protect public health. As of 2020, all municipalities in Lancaster are smoke-free, as well as the City of Lancaster and Lancaster County. Smoke-Free Palmetto State Certification now confirms that all of the enacted smoke-free policies include both combustible commercial tobacco products, as well as electronic devices like e-cigarettes/vapes.  

“We are very pleased, as this new designation along with our current initiatives will continue the culture of a healthy and smoke-free Lancaster County,” says Khaleek Chapman, Chair of Lancaster County Health and Wellness Commission. “It ensures that generations to come will have a wholesome, striving community built on the foundation of health and wellness.” 

Secondhand smoke is a known human carcinogen that causes cancer in non-smokers. Secondhand smoke exposure at the workplace, specifically, increases the risk of both lung cancer and heart disease among non-smoking employees by 20-30%. While the long-term health effects of vaping need further study, science shows that e-cigarettes, vapes, and other Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) devices produce an aerosol that can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances, including ultra-fine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs of both the user and bystanders. Policies certified through Smoke-Free Palmetto State must prohibit the use of both combustible products like cigarettes and cigars, as well as e-cigarettes/vapes, in all indoor businesses.    

Going smoke-free allows local economies to grow in ways that benefit businesses and that create healthy environments. Research shows that customers want to dine and do business in smoke-free places. Many employees also favor smoke-free policies where they work so they don’t have to choose between their job and their health.  

Smoke-Free Palmetto State Certification is offered through the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).  More information can be provided by local public health departments.   

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