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Jump to full article: Chicago Tribune, 2003-12-13
Author: Diana P. Hackbarth, RN, President, American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago
Intro: Steve Riedl, executive director of the Illinois Licensed Beverage Association, says he hasn't seen any hard documentation showing secondhand hand smoke is deadly ("Smoking's effects," Voice of the people, Nov. 29). He need not look further than the Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the lead federal agency for protecting the health and safety of Americans, which reports that 38,000 die annually from heart disease, respiratory disease and lung cancer caused by exposure to secondhand smoke in workplaces and public places.
It also reports secondhand smoke is linked to the death of 60 percent of all babies afflicted with sudden infant death syndrome.
Contrary to Riedl's assertion, no court ever disputed the Environmental Protection Agency's conclusion that secondhand smoke is a carcinogen. . . .
It defies logic to assert smoke inhaled by non-smokers is not hazardous to one's health.
Finally, Riedl states that small businesses are hurt by smoke-free workplace regulations. This is simply not true. . . .
Everyone has the right to an opinion on this issue, but no one has the right to distort the facts. Secondhand smoke kills and indoor clean-air ordinances save lives. --Diana P. Hackbarth, RN, President, American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago
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