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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0746.005 2000-2002 808 9612827 P. 01 SEP-23-02 03:44 PM AMERICAN HEART TNa f'avo®rican Maart ~6seselatf®n ml®aloa Is: 7o reduce disability and death ,raxri cardlovaeculat Qiaeaa~s ,end atroks ~5~4~° FtphtOstg Naafi ®i ~trakEs S®rvipt0 ~~tly®9! September 24, 2002 1`estltnony ~uppdrtin~ $1<a~ail bounty ~ ~ proposed Workpl~ee Smoking ~~stt°ictio>fas 3 ~ ~ ~ The American Heart Association of Hawaii supports the intent of Hawaii County's proposed workplace smoking restrictions. ~ - ~ . M Constant Cxposure to environsnl:ntal tobacco smoke ~ in the workplace or home -nearly ~ ~ ~ LL doubles the risk of having a heart attack, according to a landmark study of more than 32,000 women. 'The 10-year investigation involving female nurses found a higher level of risk from passive smoking than has been seen before and provides ehe strongest evidence ` yet that exposure to smoke in the workplace is as dangerous as exposure at home. The study was published in the May 1997 issue of Circulation, an American Heart Association scientific journal. m ~ `The 1997 study was not the brat to indicate the dangers of environmental tobacco sanoke. ~ In 1992 the American I~ieart Association's Council on Cardiopulmonaryend Critical Care ~ c~ concluded that environmental tobacco smoke is a major preventable cause of cardiovascular disease and death. `The statement urges that environmental smoke ba: ~ ~ ~ treated as an environlltental toxin, and that ways be found to protect workers and the public from this health hazard. S®Nin® HBWaII pinl:a 1948 1=TS contains more than 4,000 chemicals and at least 40 known carcinogens. Nicotine, Poe informtl4iOn ®n She AFiq'Q the addictive drU contained in tobacco, leads to acute increases in heart rate and blood ®eu6p41onal or research g programs. contact your prt;ssurt. Cigarette smoking also increases platelet aggregation, or blood clotting. It also °~°0' damages the endothelium, the layer of cells that lines all blood vessels, includin the or dlai4 our gab ails at mNw americsnheag4p~ coronary arteries. Also, nonsmokers who have high blood pressure or high blood w o-mali ua et cholesterol arc at even greater risk of developing hears diseases f1'om exposut,e to ET'S. h8w8ii®heee4.oPg °a3st~. The 1986 Report of the Surgeon Gt:neral, as well as studies by the National Academy of 24S N. Kukui Street, Sttr. 2Ck Honolwu, Hi ®ee17.9988 Sciences (NA5), thoroughly document the health hazards posed by passive smoking. PhonB.80®-538.7021 rox, soe'a3s-34aa A January 1991 report published in Circulation cited a set of epidemiological studies 84tatsi county; linking heart disease with passive exposure to tobacco smoke. The rep®rt son~laaded welter cam®rorl car+lar that exp®sllre to envir®ri9ta~e6tal tobsceQ tbmoklttg CatBS~a° aboset 10 tilt'9L~ as ratany 85 PAah8f2ni Stre~4. Na. 13 WesPUku, rcr see®s-2see d~taths gr®m hart snd blotrd vessel diseases as it does from cal;zrer. Phone: isoa.244.7185 F®x: eoa.2as-,®sr A June 1991 report on passive smoke in the workplace, published by the National t~a~>n"~ Institute for ®ccupational Safety and Health, said that "the risk of developing cancer 400 Huerani 5ues:. sta. 15 should be decreased b nlinimizin ex osurc" to environmental tobacco smoke. Hire. Hr ®®rao-asaa Y g p Phana: aoe-9®1.2e2e Earployers should assess conditions that may result in worker exposure to passive smoke Fay: eoe•®81•ze27 sand take steps to reduce exposures to the lowest feasible concentration. The best way to wags?lavran: control workers' exposure to tobacco smoke is to eliminate tobacco use from the 74.>5sas aaawai Praco, aide. H workplace and to itnplernent a smoking cessation program, Nailua•Kona, rtl S®7aQ-3/a0 f~ho0®: 808.329.0783 Isi,da, , No. PO eoz 1214 Lihu®, 64? 96986-6214 File Phone: eoe.sas-r3,1 Ref. fio• ~s~s~~~~~ Fex: eae-24Sa311 SEP ~ 8138 961282? P. 02 SEP-23-02 03:45 PM AMERICAN HEART in addition to reducing health threats to non-smoking employees and patrons of ~lawaii County workplaces, the proposed legislation would be one Inure step toward the dc- socialization of tobacco. By eliminating tobacco use in workplace ertvironments you will be sending a trtessagc to youths and potential adult smokers that smoking is not a socially acceptable practice. Cigarette saatokirtg is tits Ilaost itttp®rtatlt prevelatable cattac ofl pr°ettlatttre death iat the United States. It accounts for about 430,700 of she Ilaore than 2 million annual deaths in the U.S, Cigarette smokers have a greater risk of developing chronic disorders such as atherosclerosis ,several types of cancer atad chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Atherosclerotic cardiovascular (disease (clogged arteries) is the chief contributor to the excess deaths from smoking. Many studies devil the evidence that cigarette smoking is a major cause of coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack. Please support strong, effective workplace smoking restriction legislation. Its tlrt9e has come. Respectfully sub¢nittcd, Shauna D3usek American Heart Association fast I•Iawaii Division Director