The Hollister City Council on Monday rejected a proposed ordinance from the San Benito County Public Health Department that would have banned smoking from licensed home daycares 24 hours a day.
Council members reviewed the ordinance at the Sept. 19 meeting, but asked for more information on how it would work and how it would be enforced.
Following City Attorney Stephanie Atigh’s statement Monday about the difficulty in enforcing such an ordinance, council members denied the proposal. Council members also expressed concern about the ordinance disallowing smoking within 25 feet from daycares – particularly considering other neighboring properties that are within that range.
The idea for the ordinance came from the San Benito County Tobacco Education Coalition, which suggested a voluntary ban on smoking for home daycares.
There are 107 licensed home daycares in San Benito County, and 87 of them are within the city limits. Public health officials have said that all of those daycares have signed a pledge committing to a policy of continuously barring smoking in their homes.
Public health noted that the reason for the ordinance was to give the daycare workers and homeowners leverage in reminding people not to smoke. Though second-hand smoke has been known to have negative side effects, researchers are now finding that what they refer to as third-hand smoke can also be dangerous to children or babies.
Third-hand smoke, according to a brochure from the Public Health department, refers to the toxins from cigarette smoke that stick to surfaces such as clothing, hair and furniture. Third-hand smoke can stay on unwashed surfaces up to months, and is especially harmful to babies who have small lungs and breathe rapidly, taking in more of the toxins. They also spend a lot of time on the floor or surfaces, where the toxins can stay.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no amount of secondhand smoke is safe. It is a known cause of sudden infant death syndrome, and children exposed to it are more likely to have lung problems, ear infections and severe asthma from being around the smoke.
Some of the cancer-causing chemicals in second-hand smoke include formaldehyde, benzene, polonium 210 and vinyl chloride. It also contains other poison gases and toxic metals.
