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• ASHRAE Advises Design Engineers on Secondhand Smoke 

a new Environmental Tobacco Smoke Position Document from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers tells design engineers how to work with local regulations and codes on secondhand smoke. ASHRAE said it believes designers "should educate their clients of the substantial limitations and available benefits of engineering controls."

The document contains information on the health consequences of non-smokers' exposure to tobacco smoke indoors and how this affects the design, installation, and operation of HVAC systems. The 55,000-member organization said it realizes indoor smoking bans are the best way to minimize exposure but also recognizes "much of the population" is exposed to secondhand smoke in workplaces, homes, and public places.

The document outlines four design and operation approaches: banning smoking indoors, smoking allowed only in isolated rooms, smoking allowed in separate but not isolated spaces, and mixed occupancy of smokers and non-smokers. To obtain a free copy, visit "position documents" at www.ashrae.org.

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