HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0942.145 2006-2008 Page 1 of 1
Murashige, Laura
From: Juan Moncada [moncadaj001@hawaii.rr.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 7:12 AM
To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us
Cc: phoffmann@co.hawaii.hi.us; kapilago@co.hawaii.hi.us; bford@co.hawaii.hi.us;
jjaco@co.hawaii.hi.us; enaeole@co.hawaii.hi.us; shiga@co.hawaii.hi.us;
jyoshimoto@co.hawaii.hi.us; dikeda@co.hawaii.hi.us; dyagong@co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Testimony in favor of Bill 224
Attachments: County Council Testimony re Bill 224, April 22, 2008.doc
Aloha,
Please consider this as testimony in favor of Bill 224 for the April 22, 2006 hearing.
Mahalo,
Juan Moncada
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Ref. bate APR 22 208
4/15/2008
April 15, 2008
TO: Council Chairman Pete Hoffmann & Council Members
Hawaii County Council
FR: Juan Moncada, Chairman, Tobacco-Free Big Island Coalition
RE: WRITTEN TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF BILL 224 (in its current form)
Relating To Smoking in Certain Places in the County of Hawaii
Motion to Reconsider and Override Veto, Public Hearing Tuesday, April 22, 2008
While Mayor Kim has vetoed Bill 224 that banned smoking at County Parks and Beaches, he has
agreed with the Council's facts. Unfortunately, his suggestions that we continue to model smoking
behaviors at County facilities is inconsistent with the facts and the level of health crisis we face.
Every year tobacco companies spend an estimated $42.2 million marketing their products in
Hawaii and 1,460 adults die each year in Hawaii from tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
Annual health care costs in Hawaii directly caused by smoking are $336 million, with additional
lost productivity totaling $308 million.
Scientists have tested the toxicity of outdoor tobacco smoke and have concluded that it can be as
harmful as indoor second-hand smoke, especially for asthmatic children and adults, those
suffering from COPD, emphysema, and mitigating heart conditions. Equal access to public parks
and facilities for people with these conditions merited this Bill's passage.
Second-hand smoke is a Class-A carcinogen, (same as asbestos) known to cause cancer. There
are no safe levels of exposure.
Mayor Kim advised Volcano-area residents the day of the veto to evacuate their homes and take
precautions against breathing the dangerous SO2 emissions. Doctor E. Tam, professor and
Chairwoman, Department of Medicine at John E. Burns School of Medicine, warned tobacco
fumes with over 3000 chemicals are far worse. Bill 224 would help reduce exposure to man-made
Class-A carcinogens to improve air quality for all residents, especially the most vulnerable.
Clean air is everyone's right, and the right thing for governments to do -protect the health of all
the community. The Mayor's proposal of designated smoking parks, beaches, campgrounds
and/or parking lots would continue to deny equal access and the protection of the public's health.
It would also send the wrong message to our youth that smoking is sanctioned, acceptable, safe,
and appropriate social behavior for them to emulate. The Mayor's veto proposal to the Council is
a total disconnect to his health care crisis priority.
We urge the Hawaii County Council to reject Mayor Kim's advice of County sponsorship and
promotion of smoking in public parks and beaches and to enact Bill 224 in its original form. We
can and should reduce our own man-made hazards in public places and have a healthier, safer
and cleaner island for all to enjoy.
Sincerely,
Juan Moncada, Chairman
Tobacco-Free Big Island