HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0013.306 2002-2004 .IuI 22 03 07:37p RUSH BUSINESS COMM 8083257292 p,t
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'03 JUL 23 Pfd 7 30 AMERICAN
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COUMr ; .F HAWAII ASSOCIATION.
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Oahu
245 N. Kukui Strcet
snits 10o TESTIMONY FOR HAWAII COUNTY BILL N0.2ti0
Honolulu, HI96817-3951
Faz: (808) 537-5971 Relating to Smoking in Certain Public Places in Hawaii County
Phnne: (sos) s37-s966 _ Including protection for bars and nightclubs
Kauai The Hawaii County Council's recognition of the health threat of
z99z umi slrcel environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) mirrors the consensus of numerous local
Lihuc, HI 96766 overnin bodies across the United States, includin Kentuck an state ri ht
rex: (sos) zas-ease g g g Y, g
Phone: (sos) zasalaz in the heart of tobacco country. I urge you to follow their example and pass an
ordinance restricting smoking in all workplaces, including bars, nightclubs,
Maui and bowling alleys.
95 Muhalani $lICe1 As Bi11260 has progressed through public hearings, much inaccurate
wnankv, H1 96793 information has been presented in opposition to its passage. Citing tainted
Fax: (sos) zaz-9041 ~ studies paid for by tobacco companies, many in our county have been swayed
Phone (808)244-5110
from the truth of the issue.
In ] 993, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Hilo classified tobacco smoke as a Group A carcinogen. Many large-scale studies
39 Ululani Sued support the EPA's conclusions. For instance, in 199'7 the California
Hilo, HI 96770
Fax: (808) 935-7474 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that there aze
Phonc~ (808) 935-1206 "developmental, respiratory, carcinogenic and cazdiovasculaz effects for
which there is sufficient evidence of a causal relationship (with exposure to
Kona ETS), including fatal outcomes such as sudden infant death syndrome and
P o anz z663 heart disease mortality, as well as serious chronic diseases such as childhood
Kailas-Kona, HI96745 asthma." A University of Califomia, San Francisco, study in 1991 found that
rax: (sos) 32s-7z9z secondhand smoke is the third leadin cause of reventable death in the
Phone: (806)325-7874 g p
country, killing 53,000 nonsmokers in the U.S. each year. 1n 1999, the
National Cancer Institute determined that secondhand smoke is responsible
for the eazly deaths of as many as 65,000 Americans annually.
These statistics are supported by studies outside of the United States.
One such study reported September 26, 2001 in the Toronto, Canada Globe
and Mail, stated that "Second-hand smoke kills about eight Canadians daily."
They further stated, "]t is estimated that for every eight people who die from
smoking-related causes, one non-smoker dies from the effects of second-hand
Improving Life, smoke."
a Tlmeth As a result of the mounting evidence of the dangers of secondhand
smoke and rising pressure from nonsmokers, there as been a dramatic increase
in the creation of smokefree environments in workplaces and public places
Fountled .n z9aa, the over the last two decades either through legislation or voluntary policies.
Amerlran Lung Assodation ~
intludPS aRiliatctl Some have been mandated by administrative or court decrees based on federal
associations Mrougtlout the civil rights laws.
U.S., anA a medkal section,
the American Thoratic I Understandably, the Tobacco industry has fought this undisputable
sodety evidence. For example, one tobacco-funded study claimed in the British
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Jul 22 03 07:37p RUSH BUSINESS COMM 8083257292 p,2
Medical Journal that nonsmokers living with smokers are not at increased risk of
developing serious health problems. That particulaz study was funded by Philip Morris,
RJ Reynolds and Lorillazd-through their Center for Indoor Air Reseazch. Their work was
so spurious that the organization was disbanded under the 1998 Master Settlement
Agreement. The study used good data from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and,
according to the ACS itself, distorted it. The same people who stood before Congress in
1994 and swore that "tobacco is not addictive," now fund studies to "prove" that
"secondhand smoke is not harmful"? Is it reasonable to believe their newest opinion?
Sadly, some smokers will see this study as an excuse to continue to smoke around
their families. This bogus study is used by many in attempts to convince policymakers to
dismiss efforts to enact laws to protect everyone from secondhand smoke.
All workers in Hawaii County deserve the same protection as workers in so many
cities and states across the nation. When making your decision today, please consider the
following news Reuters article published just 21 days ago.
City in Unlikeliest State Bans Smoking
July 03, 200311:49:23 AM PST, Reuters
htto'//health yahoo com/search/healthnews?Ib=s&u-id%3A44272
A smoking ban has been passed in the unlikely city of Lexington, Kentucky, the
capital of a leading tobacco-growing state that has the highest percentage of adult
smokers in the United States.
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council, folbwing in the anti-smoking
footsteps of much larger entities such as New York City and the state of Callfomia,
voted 11-3 to prohibit smoking in public buildings, including racetracks, restaurants
and bars.
Thirty-one percent of adult Kentuckians smoke, compared to 23 percent nationally,
and the state is the second-leading tobacco producer after North Carolina.
Yrolators woukl be hit by a $100 fine for the first offense, escalating up to $500.
When the facts speak so loudly that a city with an economy based on tobacco
growth enacts such an ordinance, it provides a solid message to all of us.
Jennifer Rush, Program Assistant
American Lung Association of Hawaii