HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0013.052 2002-2004 ~ P.O. Box 817
Volcano
Hawaii 96785
May 5, 2003
Dr. Holschuh, Chair and Members
Committee on Human Services & Economic Development
Hawaii County Council
25 Aupuni Street, Hilo HI 96720
Dear Dr. Holschuh:
Re: BiI1260
Attached please find an article on the effects of banning smoking in bars, restaurants and other
indoor businesses that appeared in the Wall Street Journal of April 2, 2003.
As stated in this article, this ban on smoking in such facilities in Helena, Montana has been
associated with a nearly 60 drop in hospital admissions for heart attacks in the six months that
it was in effect.
A statistical analysis carried out at the University of California at San Francisco, indicate a high test
of validity for these results, providing yet another very important reason for implementing a similar
ban on smoking in our community here on the Big Island.
Aloha,
-
Raymond Carr
Comm. No. ~3'S~
Ref. T~~~'" ~1DEL?S~/
Ref. Uate MAY s ~nn~
~~~C'~~w~,-~..c2 ~~~I~:I~~r:~n.~~~. ~rilll, a. ?uoa oa
gist at Ilnivcrsity a[ Norttt Carolina a[
~ Chapel Hill and farmer chief science oG
Ba,TI ~p, ~ m~ l n~ fiver at the American Heart Association.
Dc 5xrgent, who isalso aquality-assur-
In, Montana Cltl~ ance officer at SL Peter's Hospital in Hel-
ena, and his colleagues undertook the
study after noticing a significant numeri-
Cut TT~a~.+ [~~}a~,),•~, culdrop[henumberso(heart-attackadmis-
~j 1. a t~ ILe sions during the first few months after the
city's ordinance went into effect last June.
By HttN Wtrvat.ow Amore thorough analysis, h>oking at
- - - - four years of historical data as well as com-
CH[CAGO In a small but provocative Paring admissions from city LIP codes af-
study, researchers found that a smoking fected by the s[noke-free ordinance with
ban in bars, restaurants and other indoor those in outlying communities unaffected
businesses in Helena, Mont., was associ- by the law, confirmed the observation, he
xted with a nearly 60`7 drop in hospital said. From June through November, the
admissions for heart attacks in the six nwnber of heart-attack admissions per
months that it was in eflecl. monW from Helena %[P Bodes fell to about
Mort~uver, after the smoking ban was three From seven, the monthly average
overturned by ,i local court decision last during the previous four years. The rate
I)ecrmher, the bract-attack rate appears from outlying Lowns was unchanged.
to have eel urnrrl in prebnn levels, said Despite the small numbers, the statis-
I:Ichard P. Sa rgrnt. afamily-practice doc_ lied analysis, door al the Ilnivcrsity of
btr in Helena a~ho led the study. Cxlilornia at San t'ranciscu, indicate the
~ The Imdinta, «hich I)r. Sargent pm results meet high Iests of vahdit}t Ile.
Sargenl's observation (hat lhr numthl}
sealed it the annual srientihc meeting of rule has returned In about seven swcc
the Anr~nran ('ullek~~ of Cardiology here, the nrdmance ~+~as suspended waen'I pw~I
arc cer'~un lu ener~iu° adeucxles oC local of the anal}~sis- He stud it wdl t'equv~~ :n
smoke-f err nrdinxiu~e,e and laws thxl at'e Icast xnothcr mouth of J;rle to t;cl a s!x
beginning W spread around the U.ti. Just Listirally valid picture of the current rate.
thus work, nmst b, n~s and restaurants in w~hle public-health hudies consider
1V'etc Sock Cd} wem snu~kedree. New York st,t~~~ndhaud smoke ? hetdth hazard, the
stale. {;nsinn :uui I iallun are among other notion is cool rnversiul. Rio shidics have
hit d'.,•, beer ,nrl. I iw~ ~tre p~•ndmg- Shaun nnong other thwts that Been rehi
\Vhr~leer ,ucli i ,inihc:mt drab tnch,hnr( exposurv rdui ianse eleinrut,
n~~u.rl .u,:anu ~l ~n~~r time or might of Ih~~ blood rallch plal~~le;d o. urronir
orcm~ iii lur;er, nu,re-urban ronununitre9 sticky, promoting clots, and Ihat cells
win dd i rqun~a further sl udy. Rol "thi,e is that line the intrnor of blood-vrxtiel walls
~i ,u~~,o, pi~~r,• r, ~ :~~I„n~~, of Iho need n~ ~i., .ul m•rahlr b,~iu~ Li: ~t.i,~d nr .h
dcoid 0?~ dd u'. •~I ~rrnndh:uid wq u, i result of err ondhdnd ~nuike, :rt.
>m.~~k~• ;.yid ~uhu~~ .~nulh, vi card i„I~~ n~nualh pr~nn~4m,; Ie.. u.~ ri, t..