Thursday, July 13 2006
HAWAII - Taking effect Nov 16th, a new law will ban Smokers across the state from smoking at bars, nightclubs, small businesses or establishments with outdoor seating.
Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday signed a statewide ban, which imposes fines for violations of up to $50 for individuals and up to $500 for businesses with repeated offenses and creates a 20- foot smoke-free zone around public entrances, exits, windows and ventilation systems.
It is critical that we do all we can to protect the health of our residents and visitors by providing public venues that are truly smoke free, Lingle, a former smoker, said in a press release. Secondhand smoke, also know as environmental tobacco smoke, is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. It is involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers, lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma according to the American Lung Association
Secondhand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen).
Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 35,000-62,000 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year.
A study found that nonsmokers exposed to environmental smoke were 25 percent more likely to have coronary heart diseases compared to nonsmokers not exposed to smoke.
Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at work are at increased risk for adverse health effects. Levels of ETS in restaurants and bars were found to be 2 to 5 times higher than in residences with smokers and 2 to 6 times higher than in office workplaces.5
All workers will now be protected, said Charles Roessler, coordinator of Tobacco-Free Kauai. It's a tremendous step forward for public health.
The law is also meant to protect workforce employees from the hazards of second- hand smoke on the job.
California already has inacted a smoking ban, along with Washington, Vermont, New York, Rhode Island, and several other states that have recently toughened laws that protect the US workforce from hazards.
Charles Roessler, coordinator of Tobacco-Free Kauai said the coalition expected everyone to become supporters of the new law.
It's a tremendous step forward for public health.
When they see what it's like, they will realize that they could never go back, she said.
Deborah Zysman, director of Tobacco-Free Hawaii, said the new fines give teeth to existing smoke-free laws, and the door is open for counties to strengthen the state law to include public areas such as parks and beaches.
Source: HawaiiHealthGuide.com
Published: July 11, 2006
