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Murashige, Laura
From: Yin Yan Leung [yinyleung@yahoo.coml
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 2:14 PM
To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us
Cc: dyagong@co.hawaii.hi.us; dikeda@co.hawaii.hi.us; jyoshimoto@co.hawaii.hi.us;
shiga@co.hawaii.hi.us; enaeole@co.hawaii.hi.us; jjaco@co.hawaii.hi.us;
bford@co.hawaii.hi.us; kapilago@co.hawaii.hi.us; phoffmann@co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: support for bill 224 2nd reading
Attachments: My support for Bi11224 March 12 2008.doc
Please find attached my personal letter of support for Bill 224 for the March 12 reading. Mahalo! Yin
Yan Leung
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Yin Yan Leung, MPH tig m
Health Educator
Word of Mouth Tobacco Prevention Program ~n-1
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American Lung Association of Hawaii o -
39 Ululani Street * Hilo, Hawaii 96720-2964
Phone: (808) 935-1206 * Fax: (808) 935-7474 * Mobile: (808) 443-4802 Ir~
www.ala-hawaii.org T~ G7
Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homenage.
Comm. No.
Ref. To: ~{L
Ref. Dote MAR 12 2008
3/10/2008
March 10, 2008
TO: Council Chairman Pete Hoffmann & Council Members
Hawaii County Council
FR: Yin Yan Leung, MPH, Health Educator, American Lung Association of Hawaii
RE: WRITTEN TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF BILL 224 (in its current form)
Relating To Smoking in Certain Places in the County of Hawaii
Second Reading, Public Hearing on Wednesday, March 12, 2008
1 strongly support Bill 224 and commend the County Council for moving this visionary
measure forward in its current form. I want Hawaii County to be a clean and healthy
place for my family and others to enjoy. Bill 224 will protect my right to breathe clean
air at all County of Hawaii parks, beaches and recreational facilities. We can lead by
example and be a model for public health for the rest of Hawaii.
In a survey of students in a tobacco prevention program of the American Lung
Association of Hawaii, 45% of students (out of 1861 respondents) responded that
someone living in their home smoked. Clearly, segments of our youth population are
exposed much more to smoking behaviors and second-hand smoke than the average
resident of Hawaii.
Despite progress made in successfully legislating indoor tobacco smoke in workplaces,
our keiki continue to be exposed to the hazards of second-hand smoke in public places.
Second-hand smoke is a Class-A carcinogen - same as asbestos - there are no safe
levels of exposure. Outdoor tobacco smoke has been declared a toxic air pollutant by
the California EPA. Scientists have tested the toxicity of outdoor tobacco smoke and
have concluded that it is as harmful as indoor second-hand smoke, especially for
asthmatic children and adults and those suffering from COPD, like emphysema. These
individuals put themselves in harms way every time they visit a public place, and get a
whiff of tobacco smoke.
It is the responsibility of government to protect the public's health in public
places, including parks and beaches. A recent report by the World Health
Organization warns that the tobacco epidemic is increasing and will claim 1 billion lives
by the end of the 21st century unless government officials take measures to enact strict
policies to curb tobacco use and protect against second-hand smoke. Legislation like
Bill 224 can decrease our society's rate of premature death and chronic diseases - a
burden that our health care system can no longer bear. Also, as a breast cancer
survivor, I wonder if my exposure to second-hand smoke was a key factor in my
diagnosis, as more and more research is finding that cigarette smoke exposure can lead
to breast cancer in pre-menopausal women.
This measure will also reduce toxic litter, and send the message that tobacco use is not
the norm in our community, so we stop sending keiki mixed messages about tobacco
use both in and out of their homes.
Children and families deserve clean, healthy places to enjoy outdoor activities without
worry from drifting second hand smoke. Visiting our parks, beaches and recreational
facilities should be a pleasurable and safe experience for all. Discarded cigarettes and
cigar butts at our parks and beaches are unsightly, unclean and particularly hazardous
to small children and wildlife. As a parent of a toddler, I am concerned that he, as well
as other children, might find and ingest these discarded toxic cigarette butts. Cigarettes
and their packaging is the number one litter item on our island. Cigarette butts are
composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic, which is estimated to take up to 25
years to decompose on land and in the sand. It takes a cigarette butt 5 years to
decompose in the ocean. Cigarette butts can pose a deadly threat to wildlife.
Indigestible cigarette filters have been found in the stomachs of sea turtles, fish, birds,
whales and other marine creatures who mistake them for food, swallowing harmful
plastic and toxic chemicals. We need to extend protection to the wildlife on our island.
In addition to Haunama Bay on Oahu and Kahalu'u Beach, many more municipalities
across the country and around the world, including California, Chicago, New Jersey,
Japan, Australia and Spain have passed similar legislation enabling them to enjoy
smoke free outdoor parks and beaches. California Clean Air Project reports that aside
from installation of signage, there is little cost involved with implementing outdoor
smoke-free ordinances for beaches. Compliance is high once people become informed
and accustomed to the new protection.
I urge you to show progressive leadership not just in our county, but for the rest of the
state and even our nation. It is the responsibility of government to protect the public's
health, including while enjoying HawaiTs parks and beaches. Clean air is my right, and
it must be protected. Pass Bill 224 in its current form.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration. Please accept this as written testimony in
support of this bill.
Sincerely,
Yin Yan Leung
454 Awela St.
Hilo, HI 96720
981-5085