ENVIRONMENT WATCH : Healthier Malls

South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, the Cadillac of shopping malls in Southern California, is taking the right step in banning smoking from its common areas.

The ban, which is similar to those adopted in a handful of malls across the United States, should lead the way for other shopping centers to voluntarily prohibit smoking. Offering smoke-free surroundings is an important way to ensure a healthier environment for shoppers and store employees.

Some cities ban smoking in shopping malls within their boundaries, but malls have been reluctant to impose such restrictions on themselves, fearing that customers might be driven away.

This reasoning is becoming less and less justifiable, however, as more is learned about the ill effects of secondhand smoke on nonsmokers.

South Coast decided to move ahead with a smoking ban after a Jan. 6 report on the dangers of secondhand smoke was issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The federal report said that secondhand tobacco smoke is a carcinogen that causes fatal lung cancer in about 3,000 nonsmokers a year and contributes to 53,000 deaths among nonsmokers nationwide.

In addition, there are numerous respected medical studies that say secondhand smoke is especially harmful to children and exacerbates respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia and bronchitis. More than enough is known now about secondhand smoke to support bans on smoking in public places as a way to protect those who choose not to smoke.