Jump to full article: St. Cloud (MN) Times, 2007-07-15
Author: Steve and Alice Schneider St. Cloud
Intro: Barbara Banaian's July 6 column "Smoking bans are about policy, not about facts" has, at its premise, the notion that because the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has not set a standard on exposure to secondhand smoke, that the claims surrounding its dangers must somehow be exaggerated.
Not surprisingly, the tobacco industry and its allies have long made this argument. . . .
The truth of the matter, which Banaian unfortunately overlooked, is that OSHA has tried to regulate exposure to secondhand smoke but the tobacco lobby has repeatedly thwarted those efforts.
OSHA attempted to implement such standards during the Clinton administration but was stopped when tobacco industry lobbyists convinced some members of Congress to strip funding for the federal agency if they went forward with the proposal. . . .
Despite claims to the contrary, secondhand smoke is indeed extremely dangerous. That's why last year, after reviewing existing credible studies, the U.S. Surgeon General came to the conclusion that there are no safe levels of exposure to secondhand smoke and that only policy that completely prevent that exposure are effective in protecting public health.
Thankfully, the Minnesota Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty recognized that in the passage and signing of a law that will make nearly all Minnesota workplaces smoke-free starting on Oct. 1.
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