The Policy Research Center for Tobacco and the Environment hosted its Second Annual Research Symposium on Tobacco and the Environment on Friday, May 30, in honor of World No Tobacco Day. San Diego State University and SAY San Diego, a nonprofit organization supporting children and families throughout the city, co-manage the Center, which is funded by California’s Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program.
The Center works with community members to design and implement research projects that address questions about the environmental impacts of commercial tobacco. Current projects focus on how tobacco product waste damages outdoor areas, like Mission Bay, and how tobacco smoke residue contaminates homes. The Center utilizes the findings to inform and advocate for policies that support healthier indoor and outdoor environments.
The Second Annual Research Symposium highlighted the latest research and policy initiatives to protect Californians from the toxic legacy of commercial tobacco in indoor and outdoor environments. Sixty-one tobacco control advocates, environmentalists, students, and researchers from around California attended in person, while another 28 participants attended virtually.
During the morning session, Dr. Georg Matt, Director of the Center for Tobacco and the Environment, and Dr. Amy Bonomi, Dean of the College of Health and Human Services at San Diego State University, delivered opening remarks. The keynote speakers included Tara Leonard, MPH, a health educator with the County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency; Dr. Justin Cummings, Third District Supervisor for Santa Cruz County; and Dr. Trina Barton, Special Assistant to Cummings, who discussed the County’s efforts to implement a ban on the sale of filtered cigarettes, an upstream strategy to address tobacco product waste. Carolina Saavedra, JD, a senior staff attorney at the Public Health Law Center, outlined the tobacco prevention legal landscape and facilitated a discussion following the keynote address. The morning session concluded with a poster presentation showcasing the latest research and policy initiatives.
The Center was honored to recognize Mayor Pro Tem Priya Bhat-Patel of the City of Carlsbad and Assistant Director of Community Development Mike Strong as the 2025 Tobacco Prevention Heroes. Both Bhat-Patel and Strong played crucial roles in passing Carlsbad’s smokefree multiunit housing policy.
During the afternoon session, the focus shifted to the impact of commercial tobacco in local neighborhoods. Participants voiced concerns from their own communities and explored ideas for future tobacco policy research during a group discussion. Dr. Lydia Greiner, Co-director of the Policy Research Center for Tobacco and the Environment, facilitated this discussion.
The participants expressed several concerns regarding both outdoor and indoor environments. For outdoor settings, they noted their worries about how tobacco product waste pollutes the environment and damages ecosystems. They also talked about the harmful effects of secondhand and thirdhand smoke exposure in outdoor public spaces, emphasizing that no-smoking rules in these areas are not always enforced.
For indoor concerns, participants discussed exposure to second- and thirdhand smoke in workplaces, schools, and multi-unit housing. They also voiced worries about pets’ exposure to second- and thirdhand smoke and the transport of thirdhand smoke residue on household items.
The Center is excited to collaborate with community members on new research and policy initiatives inspired by these ideas over the next two years. Progress will be showcased next year at the Third Annual Research Symposium on Tobacco and the Environment.
Click here to read more about the Second Annual Research Symposium.
