Those who put a premium on clean, breathable air may be pleased that only 6.5 percent of the businesses in Allegheny County's hospitality sector can permit smoking under the state's new indoor ban.

That's a small percentage of the 5,500 bars, restaurants and hotels in the county, but in raw numbers it's 361 taverns. That's 361 too many.

On Sept. 1, Pennsylvania finally joined the states and nations that have acted against one of the most pervasive health hazards of our time, indoor secondhand cigarette smoke. While the law that took effect that day was a major improvement, it contained exceptions that allow some establishments to continue their disease-spreading ways. For instance, taverns can allow smoking if food sales are less than 20 percent of receipts.

Last week the state health department announced the number of taverns that are exempt from the Clean Indoor Air Act -- 1,727 statewide. It will next process the exemption applications of restaurants that operate bars with a separate entrance, ventilation system and dividing wall.

While Pennsylvanians can be glad that, on balance, the new law is a boon to public health, a far better statute would be one with no exceptions. That's one legislative priority that should not be snuffed out.