According to research conducted by the Mayo Clinic, a smoke-free workplace can reduce the numbers of heart attacks.

In fact, the research follows the number of heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths among Olmsted County, Minn. Once a smoke-free ordinance was passed, incidences of heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths were cut in half, and adult smoking fell 23 percent during the same time frame. The rates for other risk factors, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, remained stable or grew.

"This study adds to the observation that smoke-free workplace laws help reduce the chances of having a heart attack, but for the first time, we report these laws also reduce the chances of sudden cardiac death," says Richard Hurt, M.D., director of Mayo Clinic's Nicotine Dependence Center. "The study shows that everyone, especially people with known coronary artery disease, should avoid contact with secondhand smoke. They should have no — literally no — exposure to secondhand smoke because it is too dangerous to their health."