HARRISBURG, Pa., March 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Faith United Against Tobacco, a diverse coalition of faith leaders from across the state, held a press conference today at the Capitol to urge the Legislature to enact comprehensive smoke-free legislation that covers all workplaces and protects all Pennsylvanians from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
"We in the faith community know what must be done to protect the countless number of Pennsylvania workers who are still exposed to the serious health harms of secondhand smoke," said Rev. Sandra Strauss, Policy Director for the Pennsylvania Council of Churches. "We have a moral obligation to urge our elected officials to pass this critical legislation because each and every one of our brothers and sisters deserves the right to breathe clean, smoke-free air."
Last summer, the House and Senate passed separate, differing versions of smoke-free legislation. On June 26, 2007, the Senate approved a bill that was filled with exemptions for casinos and some restaurants and bars. It would also have overturned existing smoke-free laws and prohibited local governments from enacting stronger smoke-free laws in the future. The following month, the House overwhelmingly passed an amended version that covers all workers, including those in restaurants, bars and casinos. Unfortunately, the Senate refused to concur with the House bill, setting up the need for a conference committee to address the differences.
Although the conference committee was appointed in November, it has yet to take action. After months of delay, it has finally scheduled public hearings for this week (March 10 and 13).
Pennsylvania Faith United Against Tobacco and other health advocacy groups are pressing legislators appointed to the conference committee to approve a comprehensive smoke-free law that covers all workplaces, including restaurants, bars and casinos.
"As faith leaders we cannot stand idly by, but must act to ensure that all Pennsylvania workers have equal protection from the more than 4,000 chemicals found in secondhand smoke," said Dr. David Clevenger, Pennsylvania Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. "Twenty-three other states and the District of Columbia have done the right thing and passed smoke-free legislation so that their workers don't have to compromise their health in order to get a paycheck -- it is time for Pennsylvania do the same."
In issuing a landmark report on secondhand smoke in June 2006, the U.S. Surgeon General stated, "The debate is over. The science is clear: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard that causes premature death and disease in children and nonsmoking adults." Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including at least 69 known to cause cancer. According to the Surgeon General, secondhand smoke is proven to cause lung cancer, heart disease, serious respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and asthma, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome. It is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in the United States each year. The Surgeon General also found that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke; the only way to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke is with comprehensive smoke-free workplaces and public places; and smoke-free laws do not hurt business.
Faith United Against Tobacco
