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 Newsletter Library
Date Posted: 6/1/2010 Box Fact: There are 4,000 chemicals in tobacco with 100 identified poisons and 63 known drugs which cause cancer. Break Through News: Women targeted by tobacco marketing Earlier this month, Governor John Hoeven proclaimed May 9-15 as “Women’s Health Week.” Hoeven encouraged North Dakota women to be proactive and take steps necessary for a longer, healthier and happier life. Those steps include avoiding risky behaviors such as smoking. Recent reports show that tobacco companies are targeting women more strongly than ever before. In response to this, the World Health Organization organized a “World No Tobacco Day”, on May 31, focusing on protecting women from tobacco marketing and smoking. To show your support for “World No Tobacco Day” join the cause on Facebook and remember to tell the important women in your life about the dangers of tobacco use. Inspired to Act: Are you concerned about the health of someone you care about who works in a smoke-filled bar or club? Specific, personal reasons for contacting elected representatives always make citizens’ requests more memorable. If you think all workers, including those in bars and clubs, should be protected from toxic secondhand smoke, contact your local representatives and share your viewpoint. Your efforts may inspire others around you. End Quote: “The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act.” -George Bernard Shaw Bar workers and Patrons Date Posted: 9/21/2009 Download sept09newletter.pdf (Abobe Acrobat Reader required) Breakthrough News In North Dakota, Fargo, Minot and Bismarck all have some local safeguards against toxic secondhand smoke, but only Fargo has eliminated smoke from all workplaces including bars and truck stops – thereby protecting patrons and workers from the chemical fallout they were previously subjected to. Now, the Bismarck Tobacco-Free Coalition is working to improve the air quality for workers in the state capital by collecting signatures of support for a comprehensive protection that would make all public places in the city of Bismarck smoke-free. The signatures will help the Coalition gauge public support for extending a smoke-free working environment to all workers and patrons. At present, most Bismarck workplaces (including restaurant-bar combinations) provide safe, smoke-free environments. But there are several notable exceptions -- including bars, hotel bars, hotel banquet rooms, truck stops, and private clubs. Workers in such areas still need to be protected from secondhand smoke. If you support this effort, please email Amy Heuer, President of the Bismarck Tobacco Free Coalition at amyheuer@bis.midco.net today! Bar workers and patrons -- Inspired to Act This new initiative is citizen led. The Bismarck Tobacco-Free Coalition was contacted by bar workers and patrons who do not feel safe spending time in these smoking establishments. And why should they? The 2006 U.S. Surgeon General's Report on The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Secondhand Smoke has concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and hospitality worker health improves dramatically with the passage of smoke-free laws. • Communities with comprehensive smoke-free laws (including bars) have seen their heart-attack rates reduced by 10% - 20%. • Secondhand smoke exposure can double the risk of breast cancer for women younger than 50 -- and many young women work in smoky bars and clubs. • Before California bars went smoke-free in 1998, 74% of San Francisco bartenders reported experiencing respiratory symptoms. Within two months of bars going smoke-free, these complaints dropped by almost 60%. • Historically, food service workers have had a significantly greater risk of dying from lung cancer than the general population, in part, because of secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace. All workers deserve the right to breathe clean air while they work. End Quote “Comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws are the best vaccine against heart disease, cancer, and breathing disorders.” --Secondhand Smoke and Smoke-free Policy, 2nd ed., 2009, Univ. of KY |
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